A Courier's Wrath
by Ketringa
Summary: [Feedback Appreciated] Working as a courier should have been easier and safer compared to the other available jobs. However, whatever was inside of Six's package was valuable enough for him to get ambushed. Too bad the courier survived a shot to the head. Six might not remember much of anything anymore, but his memories will catch up eventually.
1. A Pair of Misfits

_**Author's Note: This story is going to focus on my courier character. There is a twist though. I've decided to add some original characters of mine alongside some extra quests and features that are not in the game. You could call it modding, but with the fanfiction instead of the game. Lastly, I've changed some mechanics that are not in the game. An example would be that Power Armor in the story works like it does in Fallout 4.**_

* * *

 _ **Updated 4/14/2018: First thing to address. I've combined chapter 2 and 3 which makes the new chapter 2. Second, I update the already existing chapters a lot since my writing improves over time. Third and lastly, most events in the story happens with one of my New Vegas playthrough. Unfortunately, my computer has always had problems running my modded New Vegas, so updates are just always going to be slow until I get a new computer.**_

* * *

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me man!" the voice of an outraged male would echo throughout the dark wasteland. "I just bought this brahmin last week!" he complained before turning towards his companion who currently sat on a nearby rock with a dead body placed against it. Behind the companion laid a couple more lifeless corpses. The figure currently dressed in brown leather armor with a black baseball cap. There was a stitched up wound in between his hazel eyes which also ran up to his forehead. While remaining on the rock, he messed with an advanced looking device attached to his wrist. A gauntlet looking accessory with a cracked green screen. "Six. Help me out will ya?" the angered one suddenly requested.

Six, the man on the rock took his time to respond. After making the sound of a disappointing _tsk_ , he stood. "Sorry Doc. I guess your little device wasn't able to last" he muttered to himself. The follow up of his comment was removing the gauntlet from his wrist and placing it in a sack. While Six took his time putting away his now broken device, his partner proceeded to loot the dead pack mule.

Six's tempered partner had on a gray sleeveless hoodie with pants in a darker shade. There was a kneepad on just his right knee attached to a holster for a 10mm submachine gun. Based on the look of the muscles on his arms, the man had above average strength. He had on a bloodied white bandana slightly hidden behind his long and messy dark brown hair. There was also a slashed scar on his right green eye which left a slit in the middle of his eyebrow.

"So what even is that thing anyways?" Six's partner whom crouched next to the dead cow asked. Six grabbed his sack and dragged it while walking towards his companion.

"Um," Six started. He had to think about how to answer the question since he himself didn't know much about the object. "The doctor from Goodspring claimed that he was from one of those vaults." He explained while crouching down and pulling off crates. Six then proceeded to push them away from the corpse. "He said it was called a Pipboy... I think." Six tried to grasp the memory. Remembering has been a hassle due to his very recent injury.

"Think you could salvage some parts from it Six?" the other wastelander asked.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Six responded with another question. Although the nickname didn't bother him much, he was just curious. The bulky man already knew Six's real name after all.

"Well," Six's partner stopped himself for a moment. He kept too long of a silence to answer the simple question which irritated Six. "Thought it would be a cool nickname for ya. Shorter than calling ya Courier Six" he'd finally finish.

"Why don't you call me Troy then? I definitely remember telling you my name back at the saloon" the courier reminded.

His partner laughed loudly. "I'mma just stick with Six."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Alright whatever. So what should we take?"

"We should travel lightly for a while" Troy's companion recommended. "For now, just grab all the ammo you could use, some food, and medical supplies. If you have enough room, grab expensive looking shit to sell." Troy would listen to the suggestion while looting. The other guy had finished early, so he'd set up a couple of sleeping bags while Troy continued to work.

* * *

Loud gunshots had woken Troy up, causing his ears to ring. What made it worse was the sun's glare that interrupted his vision, which was already blurry from immediately waking up. At first, he was ready to pull out his 9mm handgun and fire at will. Fortunately, the familiar outfit of his muscular companion stopped him.

"Why the fuck are you shooting up the place Griffon!?" Troy wailed.

"Sorry Six. Some coyotes tried to get the jump on us." The excuse was confirmed to be true when the sight of two dead beasts caught Troy's attention. Pools of blood stained the sand as Troy slowly scooted away from the corpses. "Come on now mate. Lets get ya up" Griffon extended his hand, offering Troy up from the sand. Troy didn't hesitate to accept the offer, so grabbed the hand and was quickly pulled up.

"So Primm, right?" Troy asked when standing up and dusting off his outfit. Griffon nodded with a quick and simple nod. He then started walking before Troy even got a hold of his sack. Troy started to run after his comrade who was currently reloading his 10mm submachine gun.

"So Six, how's your head?" Griffon asked. Troy didn't feel like responding, so he remained quiet. The pain was brutal alongside the memory that came with it. "Don't want to talk about it huh? That's aight. It's not everyday somebody survives a headshot." Griffon added on while holstering the 10mm weapon. He was attempting to urge the courier to let out some information, but Troy's thick-headed for a guy who got shot in the head.

After a long awkward silence, Troy would eventually let out a sigh. "Looking at the mirror and seeing the scar is gonna keep reminding me about that asshole" he referred to the man that shot him. The man's words would echo in this head. _The game was rigged from the start_. Troy couldn't help but scowl at the thought. He then realized that a question was left unanswered "Right, what did you ask again?."

Griffon would repeat himself. For some reason he had an annoyed look on his face. Perhaps he's hating the suspense.

"The dizziness is gonna stick around for a while" Troy answered. Immediately after his response, Troy had caught sight of their destination. "There it is man" he pointed at the town. The sight of a broken down roller coaster track was also visible. "By the way, there was this note that the Doc gave me back at Goodsprings" Troy said before pulling it out. Griffon leaned over to skim the words written onto it.

Griffon nodded. "Something bout a meetup, ya?" the bulky man assumed based off of what's written on it.

 _Troy Volk. This is your proof of our services. Do not lose it!  
My men and I secured your supplies and are currently locating them to Primm.  
There is a pile of rubble behind a building with the label 'Mojave Express.'  
Search through the bricks and you will find a trap door which will lead to  
a small bunker. A couple of my employees will meet with you there. If  
the door happens to be locked, then expect the room to be unsupervised.  
I don't want you to steal crap of course. Anyways, look for my two helpers  
either gambling and drinking at the 'Vikki and Vance Casino' or occupying  
a room in the 'Bison Steve' hotel. Thank you for selecting our services  
Mr. Volk. We will keep your supplies safe and secured.  
~ Lillian Kent, manager of Eagleheart's Storage Unit_

"You purchased a storage unit?" Griffon asked before handing the note back to Troy.

"Apparently" Troy replied while grabbing his canteen to take a sip from. He unscrewed the lid and started drinking the entire bottle as they got closer to the town's front entrance. Troy thought it best to finish up the bottle's content now so he can fill it up while the two remain in Primm. "It's reassure to hear that I had more gear available to me other than what Doc gave me." Troy said after finishing his drink. He then quickly glanced over towards his companion. "So what brings you here?" Troy asked.

"It was supposed to me another stop for me. I figured since I already replenished some energy at Goodsprings, I'd just keep going" Griffon replied.

* * *

One week ago, Troy woke up at Goodsprings in a bed. The town's doctor, Doc Mitchell, had patched him up while the courier remained in a coma. When he came to, Troy couldn't remember anything but his name. Doc would tell him the events that unfolded which was very hard for Troy to process. According to the old man, a large blue robot that goes by the name Victor dug Troy out of his grave and brought him over to Doc.

Apparently Troy was still technically recovering, so Doc Mitchell advised the courier to go talk with the people at the saloon. Troy just needed to relax until he got back fully onto his feet. Of course, before leaving the house, Troy was given his gear back. Unfortunately all Troy had were simple clothing and an empty sack with a canteen bottle and a single note inside. Troy was able to put two and two together which helped him realize he was robbed. The Doc was generous though. The kind soul gave the poor courier some caps and a 9mm pistol with a single magazine. However, before Troy left, he was gifted one last thing. Some advance gauntlet called a PipBoy. It was a very neat device with many different utilities. A map of the Mojave, information about Troy's current health, a radio, and even notes about his inventory.

The old man was just absolutely too kind. Maybe the miracle Troy was gifted was the reason behind Doc's generosity. Troy didn't want the kindness to go to waste, so he helped out around the town a bit. It started out with meeting the robot that dug Troy out in the first place. Victor was a bit odd, but he was a nice machine. Apparently he came from New Vegas, but was sticking around for a while. Troy doesn't know why, but at the moment he didn't care to ask. The robot ended up wandering around the town after their farewell. Afterwards, Troy found himself helping the town guard, Sunny Smiles, and her hound companion, Cheyenne, clear out geckos from the town wells. During the assist, Sunny was willing to teach Troy a few things about survival. The courier was sure that he already knew most of the tips before losing his memories though. Either way, it didn't hurt to listen and learn.

After assisting the young guard, Troy encountered conflict within the saloon. The bartender and owner, Trudy, was in an argument with an African man with a blew long sleeved shirt and a black combat vest with the text NCRCF written on the back. The man ended up withdrawing after threatening everyone in the building. After the hostile man left, Trudy and Sunny explained to Troy about a gang called the Powder Gangers. There was a caravaneer by the name of Ringo who was hiding from the men.

Trudy told Troy Ringo's location, the town's abandoned gas station. Troy's first meeting with Ringo wasn't exactly subtle. Ringo's first action was to pull a gun out on Troy. Thankfully the asshole calmed down before discussing with Troy about the conflict. They played a game called caravan as they talked. Troy was terrible as they played, but then again he barely understood how the rules worked.

In the end, Troy offered his help. The two ended up pursuing Sunny Smiles who easily agreed to assist the two. The three then talked to several towns folk. The settlers being the main factors were Trudy, Doc Mitchell, the general store owner Chet, and a retired prospector who goes by the name of Easy Pete. Trudy helped out when the three came up with the plan of an ambush. She recruited most of the settlers into the fight and rallied them all up. Doc Mitchell, wanting everyone to be safe, gave up some medical supplies. Unfortunately he was too old to fight, which was understandable. Chet was a bit of a bitch, but he was convinced when the idea of his precious little store being ransacked came up. Basically, he gave everybody their own pair of leather armor, but in return he had to 'guard his store.' The little pussy. Lastly, there was Easy Pete who refused to give up his dynamite. Thankfully the old man ended up helping out during the firefight which would happen the next day.

Needless to say, the Powder Gangers got lit up. Everyone ambushed the fuckers from several directions. Easy Pete caused havoc when throwing his dynamite. Hell, Victor showed up out of nowhere and tanked most of the gang's bullets while suppressing fire. In the end there were little casualties, with only a small portion of the settlers receiving gunshot wounds. Nobody died though. Unfortunately the old Pip Boy was damaged. Doc Mitchell might have said that it was okay, but Troy still felt guilty. He decided to keep the broken machine just in case he can find somebody to fix it, or somehow repair it himself.

Troy stuck around and helped out a bit until he felt ready to get back into the wasteland. Three days ago, Griffon showed up and would take some time to relax. He and Troy befriended each other and decided to head to Primm together. After talking to Victor and everyone else about who ambushed him, Troy figured Primm was the next destination. Plus, based on his note, there were some useful shit he could pick up.

* * *

As the two approached the town, they noticed a soldier-like figure point a rifle at them. Troy quickly grabbed the grip of his 9mm to pull it out of his holster. However, Griffon grabbed his shoulder and shook his head when Troy looked back. When the stranger approached, Troy noticed the logo of a two headed bear on the tan chestplate. It was something very familiar with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going? Primm is off limits" the soldier fumed.

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but Griffon had beat him to it. "What happened here?"

"Some convicts from the prison up the road have taken over the town. Everyone inside is either dead or in hiding." Troy felt a bit uneasy after hearing that bit of information. He really wasn't wanting to deal with the Powder Gangers again. "What's more, there are two tribes of raiders causing trouble in this area as well. You'd be safer heading back up to Goodsprings."

"Thanks for the warning" Troy immediately responded. He already impatient. After all, he really wants to get more clues about the man who shot him.

"Be careful. You might want to talk to Lieutenant Hayes" the soldier suggested. "He's in a tent down the road. Just stay on the west side of the overpass if you don't want to get shot." Troy only nodded and started walking with Griffon following behind him.

"Ya wanna go speak to the officer?" Griffon asked.

"Fuck that" Troy replied. "We got other shit to do."

It didn't take long for the two get fired at by men armed with weak handguns and rifles. The biggest threat to the two were probably the sticks of dynamite occasionally thrown at them. Then again, there also was a lack of cover for the two. Thankfully Troy can think quickly even with that damaged head of his.

There was a building with the sign 'Mojave Express' attached to the top of it.

"Griffon over here!" Troy hollered. Griffon turned while suppressing fire. He immediately noticed the sign and ran towards his companion who was headed passed it, just like the instructions on the note said. There was a pile of rubble a dead body littered next to it. Troy quickly ran and crouched next to it. There was debris that covered his ass so he could search the bodies. When examining the corpses, Troy noticed the emblem of a wing attached to the leather jacket on the deceased man. There were some gunshot wounds which looked like it came from a shotgun. "Eagleheart?" he mumbled while finishing his search. Troy managed to find some ammunition that both Troy and Griffon can used.

Griffon eventually popped into cover besides Troy. "You aight?" he asked the courier.

"Yeah, give me a second" Troy replied while clearing out some rubble besides him. He couldn't help but smile when revealing a hatch from under all the pile of crap.

"Ain't that some reassuring shit" Griffon laughed. He then peeked out of his cover to fire a few shots at their assailants.

"Not exactly" Troy said as he frowned. There was a broken lock, causing the entrance to easily open. "Somebody broke in" Troy growled.

Griffon sighed. "I spoke too soon, eh? Let's head inside" Griffon suggested. Troy agreed with the bulky man before jumping in. Griffon followed afterwards, but made sure to close the hatch behind him.

"What the fuck is this!?" Troy lashed out. He was outraged to how empty the room was. All that was left were three more dead bodies, one with the same outfit, and a couple opened crates.

"Looks like ya got robbed" Griffon pointed out as he walked towards the bodies to investigate. Troy walked past his companion to check the crates.

"Oi Six. I got another note here. Well, two of them" Griffon informed.

"Well I got some grenades and ammo. Guess they couldn't take everything" Troy mentioned the good news. He quickly grabbed the supplies and turned to walk towards Griffon. He gifted the 10mm ammo to the submachine gunner, but would keep the rest. "Let me see the note" Troy requested.

Griffon gave the note he got from the Eagleheart body.

 _Dante and Jose, make sure to keep the products safe until our client arrives to retrieve it.  
If two weeks pass without anybody retrieving their belongings, feel free to keep  
whatever is inside. For now, relax and enjoy your time at Primm.  
~ Lillian Kent_

 _"Hmph. Well Dante and Jose are dead" Troy comments before crumpling the note into a ball and tossing it. "Can I see the other one?" he requested. Griffon nodded and offered the next note._

 _Alright asshole! I know that I've already given you and your men a debriefing,  
but here's a note in case y'all dumbasses forget! You and the  
others WILL help the convicts, Poser Gang, whatever the fuck they  
call themselves. Anyways, help them take over Primm, take  
whatever loot y'all can find and bring them to  
Ivanpah race track. Don't be pussies with the buggers there!  
~ Bossman Brice_

"Ivanpah?" Troy looked over at Griffon with confusion.

"It's a dry lake. We should worry about that later though" Griffon informed.

The sound of the hatch opening startled the two. Suddenly a stick of dynamite dropped in front of the ladder followed the shutting of the door. Troy and Griffon looked at each other. "Use the bodies!" Griffon quickly ordered. They both grabbed the bodies and threw them on top explosive one by one. The two then ran away from the pile towards the end of the room. As their backs hugged the wall, the stick went boom, causing the bodies to fly a couple feet in several directions away from the explosion. The bottom body had a mangled gut while the middle probably had broken bones. The top seemed fine, but it definitely broke some of its skin.

"So... they probably think we're dead" Troy figured.

"Time to smoke em" Griffon responded.

* * *

 _ **So obviously this duo are two main characters. Due to their importance, I've decided to put down some of their stats. It'll also reveal a bit about them. Lastly, tagged skills are maxed out.**_

 **Troy Volk**  
 **Level:** 3  
S - 5  
P - 7  
E - 7  
C - 5  
I - 5  
A - 8  
L - 3  
 **Tagged Skills**  
Unarmed  
Sneak  
Survival  
 **Perks**  
Fast Shot  
Rapid Reload

 **Griffon Crowley**  
 **Level:** 4  
S - 7  
P - 5  
E - 8  
C - 6  
I - 4  
A - 5  
L - 6  
 **Tagged Skills**  
Explosives  
Guns  
Lockpick  
 **Perks**  
Power Armor Training  
Intense Training  
Heave, Ho!


	2. The Monsters of the Mojave

The sky was looking a lot darker. Both Troy and Griffon would notice as they stand in front of the Vikki and Vance Casino. The two had spent the day killing all the convicts around the town. The bodies of all the bandits were piled up next to a pillar. Each one was stripped of their gear and given to the residents that are holed up in the casino. It was nice to get a few extra caps, but Troy and Griffon unfortunately are not finished with their business yet. The Bison Steve hotel ahead were where the rest of the convicts remain. Plus, Johnson Nash, a nice trader the two had met, requested to save the town's deputy that is currently a hostage inside of the hotel. In return, Troy would get the information he wants.

"Ya ready Six?" Griffon asked his partner. They both stood in front of the hotel, ready to breach whenever they desire.

Before replying, Troy gave his cigarette a last whiff before dropping it onto the ground and stepping on it. "Yea. Lets waste those bastards." The two would then enter the building quietly and with caution. The lobby was clearly empty which gave Griffon a disappointed look.

"You'd think this place would have the most guard since it's ya know, the god damn entrance?" Griffon whispered. Troy couldn't help but agree. At first he'd think of it as a trap, but seeing how the rest of convicts outside were easy pickings, he had a hard time believing that were the case.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps would catch the two's attention. While Griffon stayed in place, Troy snuck towards it. A figure would appear in the hallway. Troy still managed to remain hidden from the poor bastard's line of sight. Without hesitation Troy grabbed the guy and put him in a choke hold. It wasn't long until the courier's prey stopped breathing. Troy then dropped the body and looked over. Two other men both with guns glared at him.

"Oh fuck" Troy cursed.

The men started firing at Troy. Thankfully, he was quick enough to get out of the hallway and back into the lobby.

"Damn Troy, what'd ya do?" Griffon asked with an amused look. It hasn't even been two minutes and Troy managed to fuck up the stealth part of their task.

Troy ran towards a table and flipped it over to use as cover. "Oh shut up. Just throw a stick of dynamite or something." Griffon nodded and took a stick and lighter out. The convicts had plenty of explosives to spare, and Griffon didn't plan on selling all of it to Nash. Both Troy and Griffon could hear the approaching footsteps of their two foes. Griffon already began to light the stick while their enemies took time to get to appear through the doorway. The moment the silhouettes popped up, Griffon tossed the dynamite. The explosive landed in between the bandits, causing them both to panic. Their hesitation caused them to lose time. The dynamite exploded and instantly killed both gunmen. "Fuck yea!" Troy celebrated. He vaulted over the table with Griffon following.

It was obvious that their enemies would be on alert after all the gunshots and especially the explosion. Troy and Griffon had advanced into a larger room. Due to all the chairs and tables used as barricades, they assumed it was originally the hotel's cafeteria. The original idea was to take their enemies by surprise, but Troy happened to get spotted... again. Now there were guns being shot at them and somebody with a flamethrower was starting to advance.

"Ain't sneaking s'posed to be a skill of yours?" Griffon teased. Troy's luck is beginning to show.

"I ain't used to this shit" Troy complained with an annoyed tone. "Just spray the fucking guy with the flamer!" Troy ordered before peaking out and firing at the hostiles. All three convicts focused on him, distracting them from Griffon. The bulky submachine gunner took this opportunity to pop out of his cover and suppress fire. All three convicts were hailed with incoming 10mm bullets. Each shot hitting its target. Griffon would let go of his trigger and eagerly watch each of his victims drop like flies.

"You look a bit green. Is it the amnesia?" Griffon commented.

Troy sighed. He was annoyed by the remark, but Griffon was probably right. "I hope so. I don't remember what I was other than a simple mailman."

After their short conversation, they entered the kitchen. There, they found a man with a blonde mullet tied up. The hostage's eyes lit up as he witnessed his saviors entrance. "I don't suppose you came here to rescue me? I'd cross my fingers but my hands are numb" he'd greet the two.

"You must be Deputy Beagle" Troy assumed.

The man nodded. "I'm in a bit of a predicament here. I'd be most appreciative if you'd set me free."

Griffon walked behind Beagle to fulfill his request. "Hold on" Troy would quickly stop his partner. He would gaze at the deputy. "Nash said you have information on some, what're they called, Khans that came through here with a guy in a checkered suit."

"Indeed I do good sir, and I would be thrilled to share that information with you as soon as I am released from captivity."

Troy now looked very annoyed. The deputy should be spilling the beans, but he won't budge until he's set free. Troy walked behind Beagle and motioned Griffon to move over. Griffon was confused, but he still to complied. Troy suddenly kicked the prisoner over causing him to lay on his stomach.

"Ack! What are yo-"

Troy ignored him and would search him. Eventually, he found what looked like a tape recorder. There was a recording that he decided to play.

 _This is most unusual! The Powder Gangers have visitors today. I guess there's a first for everything! Now those tough-looking fellows must be Great Khans. I recognize those funny helmets and leather vests from stories I've heard..._

 _So what are they doing with that dapper gentleman who wears a checked suit? I wouldn't mind a suit like that. They're talking about heading south toward Nipton, then west to Novac where they'll meet up with someone..._

 _I guess I could track them if I needed to, but the town of Primm needs me here, to serve and protect._

 _Oh my. I think I've been spotted..._

The sound of chuckling startled Griffon. He looked and saw Troy with an amused look on his face.

"Er... ya alright Troy" Griffon asked with concern. Troy simply nodded. "Was all this necessary?"

"Probably not but he wouldn't answer a simple question" he replied before tossing the tape recorder aside. "Alright lets set this asshole free and clear the rest of the building.

* * *

"Well that was quite an adventure. We taught those convicts a thing or two did we? Breaking myself out of a hostage situation, not to diminish your role in it, of course, but it was quite thrilling" Beagle cheered. Troy didn't look amused which gave Beagle and uneasy feeling.

Griffon would attempt to regain his partner's composure. "Chill out buddy. Bad time." The three were in the casino near the entrance. As much as Troy wants to beat Beagle into a pulp, he knew how Griffon was right. The other settlers might jump the courier.

Beagle would speak up. "Fellas. Problem is, there's no law in Primm. What're we to do the next time ruffians menace us and hold us hostage?"

As Griffon got ready to speak, Troy interrupted. "We'll be going now."

"B-but the town doesn't have a Sheriff! I don't have an employer, and that means I don't have a job" Beagle griped.

Troy simply shrugged. At the moment he doesn't really care since there are other priorities he has.

"If you think you might be able to help, come find me. I thank you for all you've done" Beagle thanked before walking away.

Griffon looked at Troy with an irritated look. "The hell are ya doing?"

"Look man, I just want to go find that bastard that shot me." Troy argued.

"I get that, but these people need help right now" Griffon fired back.

Troy would let out a sigh. "We already helped them by killing off the criminals. They should take care of the rest of their problems." Griffon's gave Troy a distasteful look after his statement. Troy growled. "I don't need you to judge me. It's not like we were permanent traveling companions?"

Griffon sighed in disappointed. "Aight mate. Listen, you do you, but stay safe out there" Griffon urge. "Let's not part ways with bad blood between us. Good luck to you mate" Griffon would extend his hand.

Troy looked at his friend's hand and would grasp it to shake. "Alright. I'll see you later."

* * *

"Man those are a lot of cars" Troy muttered as he looks up at the top of the steep hill. A large statue with two figures shaking each others hands were visible even with the sun interrupting the courier's sight. Tons of ruined vehicles were between him and his destination. Troy would look around for radscorpions before continuing. It was gonna be a long walk. At least he could grab all the supplies from the vehicles as he made his way up. Assuming there were any supplies remaining.

As the courier walked, he couldn't help but think about the recent departure of his companion. _Sorry Griffon. I can't have more of Primm's problems be mine as well_ he thought.

The walk was as expected. Tiring and long. Thankfully he was welcomed with open arms by the NCR soldiers. It must be part of their job to play friendly with visitors. One guy relocated Troy to a building where he could rest up and get something to eat. Troy thanked the soldier before entering the building. The interior reminded him of Trudy's saloon. This place was more professional though. Probably due to it being owned by a military faction. Troy noticed alcoholic beverages on shelves behind a bar counter. He was sort of interested in drinking a little, so he decided to sit at one of the available seats. This attracted the attention of the bartender.

"New face in the Outpost, must've come from the north. I'm Lacey. So what'll you have?" a woman with tan skin would give a quick introduction of herself from behind the counter. She apparently would prefer to go straight to business. She had a crop top red shirt with long sleeves which were rolled up along with a black vest over it. She also had black jeans which looked pretty damaged and a cap with goggles attached to it.

"Got any steak and a Sunset?" the courier asked as he approaches a stool to sit.

The woman would nod. "18 caps" she'd request while setting up his meal.

In the meantime Troy took out a pouch filled with his bottlecap. He'd count them out before setting them down on the counter in front of him. It would have been a lot smarter on his part to eat what he has in his sack. However, all he has is canned food and dirty water. Eating something nice for once would take off some stress.

"You know I could sell more than food. Gear and ammunition is available if you want" Lacey offered.

"I think I'll be fine for now. Thank you" Troy replied. The merchant would make a frown. Like all merchants, they try to milk their customers of their caps. It is her job, but unfortunately for her, Troy was only interested in eating this time. Troy kept to himself until he accidentally glanced over towards a woman with a cowboy hat and a brown jacket over pink flannel had her feel the need to interrupt his meal.

"Looking for trouble?" she suddenly asked. Startled by the sudden question, Troy put his full attention on the woman.

"Just minding my business" Troy would respond. He prayed that she wasn't looking for trouble. There was a lot of doubt in that possibility after Troy's eye caught the amount of whiskey she's been drinking.

"Your business, huh? Now there's a store worth tending. You run along now... judging by that busted pilot light expression you're fixed with, 'business' ain't so good."

Troy sighed. He's really not in the mood for this. After all he's already exhausted. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. How about a drink?" This decision might endanger the girl, but Troy isn't really the one to give a fuck right now.

"'How about a drink?'" she'd mock him. Now she was really starting to irritate Troy. "How about a couple, is what you mean." She'd take a swig of the current whiskey bottle and empty it before slamming it down in front of her. "Drinking to forget, and it's only getting me mad instead. Whiskey always gets my temper up. Now more than ever." At first Troy would be willing to offer the girl a couple drinks, but her being mad enough is starting to pull him back from that decision.

"Drinking used to cause all sorts of trouble back West before I punched enough people, that is, and they learned to lay low when the whiskey hit." The girl yawned before continuing. Perhaps she's getting ready to faint from what she's been drinking. She then regained her composure which managed to amaze Troy.

The conversation would end up dying if Troy didn't continue it. It would have been better than a long silence. "Back West?"

"Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I'm not from around here and I'm not NCR. I run a caravan... or did." Her voice was a lot calmer than when she first started spewing nonsense at the courier. "Lost my caravan heading north, the driver burned to ash - and they didn't even take the cargo, they just burned that too."

Troy was already halfway through his meal. It looks like the girl's conversation is keeping him occupied. "That doesn't sound like the work of raiders" Troy assumed.

The girl smiled a bit. She was impressed by Troy's hunch. "My guess is Legion, they're trying to cut NCR's supply line... and the Mohave Outpost is proof. Got us locked up tighter than a New Vegas virgin." Troy chuckled by the remark. His reaction to a dirty joke like that was a bit childish, and the girl even noticed. She kept continuing her story though.

"No caravans in, out, and just try arguing with Jackson about it. 'Roads aren't safe,' he says." She rolled her eyes after quoting this Jackson. "No shit, you washed-out old fuckup, I didn't need a Brotherhood Scribe to tell me that."

"Hey just remember you're talking to me" Troy joked. The reaction wasn't what the courier expected, but a quiet giggle from the girl was good enough to him. "So what are you going to do?" he'd ask.

"Drink. Got a lot of memories to drown. If I die while doing it, so be it. Got nowhere else to go." She'd let out a disappointing sigh. "Jackson won't let me head north, it's not safe... and even though my caravan's gone, my caravan papers are keeping me here. So if you came here for work, my advice? Go find the Crimson Caravan branch, south of Vegas. They can help you out."

The name Crimson Caravan had caught Troy's full attention. He remembered that guy Ringo from Goodsprings. I wonder if he's still over there? He thought. The courier pushed now empty plate forward which notified Lacey that it was okay to take it. Troy suddenly remembered the presence of Lacey. She must have heard everything. It didn't bother him though. He stood up and walked over to sit by the girl who opened up to him.

Troy reached his hand out. "I'm Troy. Former courier before getting shot in the head" he'd unravel.

The girl suddenly looked at the courier with wide eyes. Her sight soon adjusted to the scar his forehead. "Wow" her tone was obviously surprised. "That explains the..." she'd point at the forehead since she felt that it'd be rude to say it.

After Troy nodded, the girl would finally shake his hand. "Name is Cass. Nice to meet you."

* * *

Troy slowly raised his head to see Lacey wiping the counter. To his left was Cass who was still passed out.

"She's finally out cold thanks to you" Lacey chirped.

"Why do you sound so happy about that?" Troy asked as he sat up.

"Well, she's just been hogging up all the whiskey in the bar. It couldn't have been long until she died of alcohol poisoning."

Troy laughed. "Yea right. This girl is a rock. I'm surprised I lasted."

"Oh you didn't last long" Lacey immediately replied.

"Wait what?"

Lacey smirked. "You left her hanging after a bottle."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Of course" he muttered to himself. That information isn't much of a surprise since his head is fucked up in the first place. "So any chance work is available? I'm feeling restless."

"Work around here? Might check with Jackson in the main building. Or Ghost up on the roof above, but watch out, she's... well, she's kind of a bitch. Don't tell her I said that, though. Might take a bullet some night when I'm going to the latrine" the bartender informed.

Troy was gonna have a tough decision since Ghost is also disliked by somebody.

* * *

"Yeah! Who won the lottery!? I did!" the sudden screaming celebration startled Troy.

"It's fucking midnight. Who the fuck other than wildlife would be this loud?" Troy would complain upon hearing the voice. A figure soon was seen to be running towards him. Troy didn't think too much of it until he saw what the guy was wearing. "Oh shit! Powder Ganger!" The courier reached for his 9mm, but didn't proceed to unholster when noticing the figure was unarmed.

"Smell that air!" he'd scream to the night sky while running. He then stopped after spotting Troy. "Couldn't ya just drink it like booze!?" he'd ask the courier.

"Hey man" Troy would greet. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Are you kidding me? Never felt better!" the Powder Ganger enthusiastically responded.

"So what's this lottery you're going on about?" Troy curiously asked.

"What lottery?" the stranger looked dumbfounded by the question. "The lottery, that's what lottery! Are you stupid?" That remark would have best been kept to himself. It's a good thing the nap at the outpost brought Troy to a good mood. "Only lottery that matters! Oh my god smell that air!" the stranger celebrated again. He then would run past Troy.

The courier looked back in disbelief. He had no idea what's going on, but decided to continue. Ghost already mentioned the smoke to Troy so he wasn't surprised at first glance. It was when he got closer that got him to widen his eyes in horror. The smoke was all due to burning buildings. Troy immediately reacted and ran towards the center of the town. The sight of all the Powder Gangers crucified against a cross terrified him.

Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the ones who caused all of this. Each figure had on reddish armor. All but one carried a machete. A couple canines were by their side as well. One figure with a fox on his head would approach Troy. The courier responded by walking towards him until they both met face to face.

"Don't worry, I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by" the man with the fox man assured. "I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."

Troy chuckled in disbelief. "What 'lesson' did you even teach here?" he'd ask with an angered expression.

The man with the fox head began to answer the angered courier's question. "Where to begin? That they are weak, and we are strong? This much was known already. But the depths of their moral sickness, their dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson."

What the man spewed from his mouth really pissed Troy off. "I think I've heard enough" he announced.

"I think your eyes will see more than I could ever tell you. Take your time. Enjoy the sights" the man requested before he and his followers began to walk away.

Everything that's currently going on, Troy couldn't accept. It felt like time temporarily slowed down in his favor. He'd count the number of monsters trying to leave the disaster they caused. One gunman without a helmet. That would be the first target. The dogs were the second. Troy pulled out a single frag along with his 9mm. He placed the grenade against his mouth and bit onto the pin. He then aimed at the gunman. The dogs and one of the others noticed Troy. He'd try to warn his comrades while the dogs began to dash at the courier. Either way, it was too late for the gunman.

Troy pulled out the pin before pulling the trigger. The moment everybody heard the sound of the shot, the gunman dropped. The courier then fired at the two dogs as he would let the grenade cook. When the dogs dropped, Troy could see everybody else charged. Troy then dropped the grenade and would run back while suppressing fire. Eventually his gun would click. Since the frag was gonna explode anyways, he took the time to reload. However, he didn't realize one was faster than the delay of the grenade.

"Oh shi-" Troy attempted to dodge the slash of the machete. Even though he managed to avoid a deadly blow, the gash on his right side was deep enough to have him spit out blood. The Legionnaire had to recover from the hard swing he took. This gave Troy enough time to fire half his magazine into his assailant's chest. The Legionnaire staggered a bit before dropping down onto his knees. Troy would put the guy out of his misery with a single bullet to his forehead. Unlike the shot to the head Troy felt, this one killed the guy on impact.

While holding onto his possible fatal wound, Troy looked back at the location of explosion. All but one body were lifeless. The leader with the fox hat still stood, but with a bloody arm.

The two slowly took steps towards each other which soon broke into sprints. Troy might have a firearm, but there was no way his aim could save him at this moment. The shot had to be point blank. The leader would point his dull looking weapon at Troy. At first, Troy didn't see the leader as deadly, until he heard the sound of an engine. The blade was basically a chainsaw. It was a good thing Troy figured it out early on, otherwise he'd be slaughtered. The courier quickly dodged to his side and grabbed the Legionnaire leader's wrist to keep him from moving his weapon. Troy then pointed the 9mm at the fucker's stomach. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger multiple times until witnessing the leader fall onto him. Troy still held onto the wrist of the corpse before he'd let go and fall down right besides it.

Troy, now heavily wounded, stared up at the night sky. Each blink would get slower just like his breath. Eventually all that was left was darkness.


	3. An Unexpected Situation

The sound of automatic fire scared the fuck out of Troy. He jumped, but immediately cried out in pain afterwards. The sunlight blinded him for a few seconds, but he did regain his composure eventually, only to be met with the sight of metal bars in front of him. He looked behind him and noticed that there were other bars that his unconscious body leaned on. After looking around one more time, he noticed that there were other people in the metal cage with him. Every single one of them, covered in dirty, some injured.

"Where the hell am I?" Troy asked as he looked outside of the cage. He rubbed his head and could feel his short and moist light brown hair. "Where the hell did my cap go?" he blurted out while continuing to feel his naked head. After his examination of the outside, Troy assumed that he was in some kind of canyon. Guard armed with leather and metal armor remained around the cage while a couple brahmin from the front dragged it. Alongside the apparel were weapons of good quality. Basically assault carbines and hunting shotguns.

"Oh good you're finally up" a female voice interrupted Troy's examination of his surroundings. He turned towards a girl with a blond ponytail that had a string of her hair covering her left blue eye. Her pale skin was dirtied just like everyone else. However, instead of mud, there was more blood that covered her. The white tank top that she wore might as well be considered a red tank top. Her tan pants looked a little cleaner, but there were still drops of blood staining it.

Troy leaned against the cage in confusion. The last thing he remembered was the pain caused by a blade. "Take it easy" she assured him. "You woke up in a cage with poor looking people on the inside and heavily armed people outside. I was surprised too when I was in your shoes. Except, I wasn't in bad shape."

Sooner than later, Troy did calm down, so he sat up and looked at her for a few seconds. She definitely stood out compared to the rest of these people. Not just her looks, her personality and character as well. Finally, Troy succumbed to the stinging around his gut, so he looked at the bandages wrapped around his ruined leather armor. He pressed his palm against the stitched up wound, causing pain to send a shock to his nerves. "So uh, what's going on?" he asked the girl while slowly removing his hand away from the wound.

"Well you see" she started before suddenly sighing. "I hate to break it to you, but everyone in this cage is now property" she answered his question before pointing at the guards outside of the cage. "In other words, we're slaves" she pointed out the obvious. She quickly glanced back towards the other prisoners and sigh before looking back at Troy. "The guards found you next to a bunch of dead Legion soldiers. Assuming you killed all of them, they figured somebody would bid high for you" she asked.

Troy stopped and thought for a moment. He now remembered the full details of receiving the nearly fatal machete slash. There was a long awkward moment of silence until Troy broke it. "Yea" he muttered. His memories came back to him. That Legion dog really killed the entire town, just to send a message. The needless sacrifices really pissed the courier off, so he snapped. Maybe it was better that Troy let them go until they crossed paths again. However, at least the world lost a squad of bad people.

Suddenly Troy felt pain in his shoulder. It was only a moment later that he realized the girl punched him. "Don't daze off all of a sudden. You nearly scared me" she warned him with light laughter following.

The courier raised an eyebrow, still confused by this woman's characteristics. "How the hell are you so laid back compared to them" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've been through plenty of shit" she revealed. "By the way, you haven't thanked me for patching you up yet. I only worked so hard you know" she teased while adjusting her position until she sat with her legs crossed.

Troy raised an eyebrow. "That was you?" Troy asked. He felt dumb when noticing the blood all over her apparel. It should have been obvious "Thanks erm..." he awkwardly thanked. He looked around and noticed that there were no medical supplies nearby. He assumed that one of the guards gave some to her just to patch Troy up.

"Harley" she interrupted. "Harley Furr." She extended her hand towards him.

Troy lightly grasped it to complete the hand shake. "Troy Volk" he'd introduce himself in a timid voice. He still felt weirded out with his position. First he gets shot in the head, now this.

The soldiers suddenly blasted their guns. As they both looked at what was going on, they noticed a bunch of giant hornets with yellow wings. Cazadores. Troy knew what they were, but he couldn't remember ever meeting one face to face. Surely there was an instance in the past where he encountered one. Too bad that memory is long gone now.

"Haha! So pathetic! They haven't touched us this whole trip" one of the guards in metal taunted.

Harley sighed, thinking that specific guard as lame. "Try to stay on their good side. The only reason you're with us right now is because of your supposed victory against all those Legionnaires." she'd advise the courier.

"Jesus Christ, this sucks" Troy muttered a complaint.

* * *

The slavers finally got their prisoners out of the canyon. Upon their exit, Troy noticed a ruined town up ahead.

"There's our home" one of the guards blurted out in excitement. It's no surprise he was glad to be out of their. Cazadores are annoying. Add that with rounding up a bunch of slaves, and just about anybody would be glad to be home again.

Troy, still up against the cage, had noticed that one of the guards was young looking. Couldn't even had reached his twenties yet. The expressions the boy made looked a lot more innocent compared to the other slavers. "Hey um, kid?" Troy tried calling out to the boy.

"Shhh! What are you doing?" Harley tried interrupting Troy's attempt to call over one of the guards.

"I just want to ask him something" Troy replied.

Harley leaned in to talk quieter. "Fine, but maybe hold back from calling him kid. I don't know about you, but some adults throw temper tantrums. I'd rather not see one with a gun throw one."

Troy rolled his eyes and looked over, eyes meeting the young guard. He had on a dark gray helmet that looked a little too big on him. It was a funny sight, but Troy had to hold back from laughing. That was surely suicide

"So? What's the question?" the young guard asked, a bit impatient.

"Um, I just want to know where we are."

The boy pointed at the ruined town that Troy spotted earlier. "That's Bonnie Springs. Viper gang members had it until we took it ov-"

"Damien! Don't be so nice to the prisoners! You might be the boss's boy, but I'll still whoop your ass" a random guard threatened. The young one seemed irritated, but didn't say anything back.

When brought to the center of the town, all the prisoners were brought out of the cage and lined up. Once in line, the guards forced everyone to drop to their knees. While Troy and Harley easily complied, most of the others hesitated, but fear helped them follow orders. Everyone was still for a while until an old bald guy with dark combat armor and a cigarette in his mouth walked up to the bunch. Everybody's sights remained on the man.

"Lets see here" he'd start while examining his men's captures. He took out the cigarette and held it in between two fingers. He then pointed the small stick at Troy. "So this is the guy who killed the Legion huh?"

All his men nodded with positive looks on their faces. Their boss ended up laughing. "This one! This one I like!" the boss announced. His henchmen celebrated. "Alright, so we keep blondie and have her finish up with patching our little Legion hunter. The others we just try to sell to anybody."

"Fuck this!" one of the prisoners screamed before attempting to run off.

The man in combat armor rolled his eyes. "Waste the bitch" he'd order somebody with a sniper. Without hesitation, the underling aimed his rifle and fired. The escaping prisoner's head exploded in the distance.

"As you can see, we don't care about wasting you useless junkies" he'd talk down towards the other prisoners. "Well, except these two right here" he'd point at Troy and Harley. "They are actually worth a damn unlike you pansies."

After the insults, Baldy walked over to his men to discuss their plan. Troy and Harley originally were going to keep still, but one of the guards backpack which laid against the cage suddenly fell over, catching the two's attention. There were bags belonging to other guards, others were confiscated from prisoners. Troy noticed his and eyed it. It now occurred to him that he needs to get his shit back. Suddenly, his bag fell over. One of his plastic water bottles ended up falling out of the bag and rolled closer towards Troy. He watched it, wondering what's pushing the bags over. All of a sudden, he noticed that the water formed a ring. Another one formed, but Troy heard something faint alongside the sight. Then, a third, this time the sound was louder. It sounded like something stomped.

"Did you feel that?" Harley suddenly asked. Troy looked at her confused. He felt like he knew what was coming, but he can't remember jack shit. "Hey!" she called over at the guards. They ignored her. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" she desperately cried out.

"Shut the fuck up bitch!" one of them harshly responded. "We really don't need to bust that pretty mouth of yours!" he'd threaten.

Harley rolled her eyes and looked at Troy. "Just... be ready to run" she quietly warned.

"Wait, why?" Troy asked. Suddenly, he felt the vibration Harley hinted towards. "Oh, that's why." The courier knew what was coming. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember the specific name of the threat.

The guards suddenly looked towards the prisoners. Actually, they looked passed them.

"The hell was that?" one of them asked.

A sudden horrendous roar startled everybody in the demolished town. Nobody moved, which was probably the worst thing to do at a time like this. A crashing sound along with gunshots and screams were heard at the far end of the town. Since it was a small town to begin with it wasn't very far away, and everybody could see what was going on.

"Deathclaw!" one of the guards screamed.

Troy saw the large lizard like creature fighting off a couple guards. He stared in awe as it mutilated its prey. The look of the creature immediately brought his memories back. "Let's run" he'd tell Harley.

"No not yet. These slavers would just mow us down if we tried to escape right now" Harley warned. Troy groaned. He really did not want to die here.

Prisoners were already panicking and trying to run away which caused the young guard, Damien, to fire his assault carbine at the runaways. "Wow. To think that even with a fucking deathclaw around, they still care about their stupid merchandise!" Troy lashed out in disbelief. Eventually Damien could see how much help his comrades needed so he went to assist.

Troy saw that the slaver sniper was right in front of him. Without hesitation, he ran up and would put the guy in a chokehold. Troy might still be injured, but this was a good opportunity to take this asshole out. The sniper fought back with all his might, but eventual gave his last breath. It was a big help that the other guards were occupied. By now Troy would assume that they care more about their lives than their prize.

"Troy! Lets go!" Harley yelled. He turned around and saw Harley grab a bag and run off. Troy followed behind, but not without the rifle that once belonged to this sniper. As Troy ran passed the cage, he grabbed a random bag before chasing after the blonde prisoner. He wished he could have checked to see if the bag was his, but he really does not have the time to do such a thing.

* * *

"Holy shit" Troy blurted out as his hands rested on his knees while he pants.

"Yea" Harley managed to get out. She was in the same position, but felt like she was in worse shape. How odd since Troy is the one with the injury.

When they caught their breath, the two started walking towards where they came from. The canyon might be dangerous, but it beats going back to fight a deathclaw. Cazadore bodies littered the path, so hopefully the two were safe for this trip. While walking, they'd look through the loot they gained.

"Wait..." Troy halted Harley. "Is that my bag?" he asked/

Harley shrugged. "I just grabbed a random one. We can switch if you want to" she offered.

Troy hesitated, but agreed. Once they switched, Troy checked to see if anything was missing. Basically, nothing was lost other than some bullets and food items. As long as the broken pipboy remained, he was fine. The least he could do was keep the gauntlet for Doc's sake.

"Wow" Harley groaned. "Just a combat knife, food, and caps. A few bullets too." She stopped and stomped on the ground to let out some anger. "How are you gonna have a big backpack like this and barely fill it up!?" she complained.

Troy laughed. "Here take the rifle then. They kept my pistol in here." She smiled as Troy handed her the gun. "So where do you think we'll be headed?" Troy asked.

"Probably to Goodsprings" the answer made Troy freeze.

"Wait, I'm known there. How the hell did they get pass without anybody seeing me?" Troy frantically asked.

Harley looked at him and tilted her head a little bit to the side. "I mean, the town looked really empty at night."

Troy let out a disappointing sigh. "What luck" he muttered. All of a sudden, Troy stopped walking.

Harley turned around to check on him. "Hey, you okay?" she asked.

Troy collapsed but caught himself. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. His brain was pulsing heavily and rapidly. Finally, he did end up screaming. His arms gave way and he fell onto the ground face first. He laid on his side and grasped his head as he lets out a terrifying and painful cry. He then began to curl up hoping that his misery would repress, but the pain for some reason remained. His eyes were clenched shut, but he could feel Harley's touch. When he opened them, she crouched in front of him and looking through her bag. Her mouth made words, but Troy's ears couldn't pick anything up but loud ringing. Before he knew it, everything went black.

* * *

 **Harley Furr  
Level: **6 **  
**S - 4  
P - 6  
E - 4  
C - 8  
I - 7  
A - 6  
L - 5  
 **Tagged Skills  
** Guns  
Barter  
Speech  
 **Perks  
** Black Widow  
Cherchez La Femme  
Shotgun Surgeon


	4. Back to Square One

_The flickering campfire would soon die out as Troy watched it. He sat on a rock and watched while moving around the ashes with a stick. Soon, he'd let out a long yawn. He stood up and looked at the sky. His yellow flannel shirt and brown pants lit up due to the sun's lighting. He then looked back at his poorly made tent and leather backpack that layed against it._

 _"I better head out soon. I can't have another package go late" Troy muttered to himself. "Goodsprings should be the closest settlement" he'd remind himself while packing everything up._

 _Once he had everything from the campfire repossessed, he'd take off. Wildlife will probably find some of Troy's leftovers near the now dead campfire. While walking, Troy unholstered his .357 revolver. He'd examine it's quality and cleanliness before checking to see if it's fully loaded._

 _The courier was nearing Goodsprings now. He'd keep walking until he was interrupted by a man in a checkered suit._

 _"Slow down baby. I just want to talk" the stranger said. His voice wasn't very pleasing to hear at all. It was like the guy thought of himself as someone entitled with their nose up in the air all the time._

 _Troy uttered a groan. "Look man, I got shit to do." The courier wasn't happy at all that his job is being delayed._

 _The checkered suited man had a devilish grin on his face. Troy had urges to punch the guy, but managed to hold the temptations in for now. "Baby, baby" the guy repeated. "Let me just tell ya that you won't need to be doing that anymore."_

 _Troy raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry? I'm assuming that was a threat" he snapped. Before the stranger knew it, Troy had his revolver in his hand and pointed at him. "You won't have long to step aside" the courier threatened._

 _The stranger would lightly laugh. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

 _Troy tilted his head and stared with a puzzled look. Suddenly, he collapsed which revealed a man with a mohawk, bandana tied around his forehead, and a leather sleeveless coat holding a shovel. "Benny why didn't we just do that before?" the goon asked._

 _Troy managed to get up onto his knees. There he saw his revolver on the ground ahead of him._

 _"Jessup don't worry about it. Let's deal with the mailman first" the man in the checkered suit ordered._

 _The goon took out a sack and placed it over Troy's head before he had a chance to grab his weapon. Now all Troy could see was black._

* * *

Troy slowly opened his eyes. The look of the running ceiling fan and blinding light bulb gave him a nostalgic feeling.

"How about that. Awake again" a familiar elderly voice said. Troy continued to stare at the ceiling. "Welcome back" the voice would greet.

Troy looked over to see Doc Mitchell sitting on a chair in front of the bed. It's just like the first time they met. Without thinking, Troy tried to get up.

"Easy, easy" Doc repeated. "You're acting too rash just like last time."

Troy rubbed his eyes. Unlike last time, he remembered a lot of what happened. "My head was in a lot of a pain when I blacked out" Troy said under his breath. It was loud enough for Doc to hear.

"Well after all, you did get shot in the head. How reckless have you been ever since you've left Goodsprings?" Doc asked.

It dumbfounded Troy now that Doc mentioned it. The courier went through more than he should have. He was still recovering, but decided to push himself way too much. From fighting off convicts in Goodsprings and Primm, to fighting radscorpions, to the Legion in Nipton, then running away from the deathclaw.

"Wow. I feel really stupid" Troy blurted out.

Doc lightly chuckled. "You're lady friend brought you here. She's sleeping on my couch right now. You should thank her" Doc suggested.

The doctor stood up and would head towards his kitchen. Not long after, Troy got up from his bed. He felt wobbly at first just like last time. He soon managed to regain his balance and walked towards the living room. Upon entering, he saw Harley laying down on the green couch. Her looks didn't change at all. She must have only focused on bringing Troy back to safety.

Under normal circumstances, Troy would have left Harley to peacefully sleep. The thing is, she doesn't know that he's safe yet. He decided to walk over to her and shake her shoulder. She'd lightly open up her eyes and smile upon seeing him.

"So that's what's under all that leather" she'd flirt.

It was then that Troy noticed he was only wearing his boxers. He rolled his eyes thinking her comment was needless.

"It looks like Doc is superior when it comes to patching you up" she noted. Troy's wounds slash wound were a lot more cleaner and stitched up before being wrapped in bandages. He also had bandages wrapped around his head.

Harley soon sat up. Troy felt it was time to thank her. "Hey Harley. I appreciate not leaving me there to die. Thank you for bringing me back."

The girl shrugged. "I mean you didn't seem like a bad guy" she'd compliment while rubbing her eyes.

As Troy examined her, he felt his heart beating a bit faster. The girl was a lot more attractive now then when they first met. Maybe it was just the situation that kept him from noticing. He then suddenly shook his head, but then winced after that decision. _Fuck me_ he thought to himself. He looked at Harley and was relieved that she didn't notice his dumbass decision.

"We should probably head out then" Troy proposed.

Harley looked at the courier with a dissatisfied look. "Are you dumb? You just woke up." She stood up. "You're gonna show me around first. We'll resupply right afterwards, rest up for a night, and then we go" the girl declared.

Troy didn't like the idea. He still was desperate to chase the man who shot him. The courier opened his mouth to argue, but by then Harley already turned and walked away. Troy groaned not knowing how to dispute with her. She then came back and tossed a leather bag at Troy. The courier opened it to see all his belongings.

"Well get dressed. You're not going into the town looking like that" she teased.

* * *

Doc rubbed his chin while he inspected the damaged Pipboy. He then let out a sigh while rubbing the back of his bald head.

"It looks to me that it won't be running unless you get it checked at the Vault" Doc proposed.

"Man I'm sorry Doc" Troy apologized. "I really didn't mean for this to happen. Some thugs attacked Griffon and I on the road."

"It's fine" Doc assured. "It's a pretty old device after all. By the way, what ever happened to Griffon?" he'd ask.

"Oh um, we've decided to part ways" Troy answered guiltily. He wonders how Griffon is doing with Primm. It won't be too long till a reunion.

Doc uttered another sigh. "Well that's a shame. You two did get along fairly well. You should hurry up and give your friend of yours a tour. Last I saw her she was looking pretty impatient."

Troy chuckled. "I guess I'll go do that then" he'd reply before putting the Pipboy in the bag Harley gave him. The courier and doctor would bid their farewell before parting ways once again.

"So which first? The saloon or general store?" Harley asked

Just like last time there wasn't much to do in Goodsprings. "Lets head to the saloon. There are a couple people there you might like to meet." The shop would have been Troy's first pick, but he's still holding a grudge against Chet. The greedy clerk wasn't willing to share supplies with everyone even though there were thugs trying to take over the town. Apparently his store is more important than everybody else here which really bugs Troy. What made it worse was that Troy was willing to buy his own supplies, but based on Chet's prices, Troy could only afford low quality items.

"Well look who it is. Back already huh?" Sunny greeted. Her hound walked up to Troy with a gleeful look on her face.

"Nice to see you Sunny" Troy responded before crouching down to greet her companion. "You too Cheyenne."

"So who's your friend?" Sunny asked while looking at Harley.

"I'm Harley. Nice to meet you."

"Sunny Smiles. I know the town is small, but hopefully you can enjoy what's here."

Just like Troy promised, he continued to greet Harley with everybody else. First Trudy, then he looked for Ringo. Apparently he left a while ago, so they went outside for Harley to say hi to Easy Pete. It turns out the old man was sleeping. That's why he didn't say anything before the two entered the building. After trying to stay in the saloon as long as they possibly could, it was time to go Chet's General Store. Troy uttered a groan at the thought of it.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Harley would check on her partner.

"I don't even know" Troy replied.

"Just let me do the talking then" Harley offered.

Chet was ready to greet his customers the moment the door swung open. "Welcome to Chet's Gener- Oh" the look on his face after seeing Troy says it all about their relationship. "Didn't realize you were back in town."

"Nice to see you too" Troy replied. "Fucking bitch" he muttered under his breath.

Troy immediately tried to buy supplies, but Chet wouldn't give any good deals. Eventually an argument broke out. It was a good thing that Harley was there to stop the two. She decided to do the bartering. That was the time Troy learned about the girl's bartering skills.

* * *

Since the two resupplied, they decided that it was time to relax in the saloon. They both sat at a table across from each other as they organized what they bought. Trudy eventually walked up to the two with a couple bottles of beer.

"Here you two go. Don't worry Troy. It's on the house" she'd guarantee.

Troy smiled at the saloon owner's act of kindness. "You really don't have to Trudy."

"No I insist. Morale in Goodprings has been up ever since Cobb and his gang were killed." Trudy looked at the table to examine all the supplies the two bought. "I'm surprised that you managed to get that much from Chet with your current relations with him." She'd crack a smile before crossing her arms.

"Oh, I had to barter with the guy" Harley chimed in. "I was always good with words. Either that or my body is a good enough distraction" the girl joked.

Trudy laughed. "So what's your story Harley."

"Well," Harley began. She looked at Troy nervously which confused him. Trudy noticed the look as well.

"If it's personal you do-"

"No it's not that I don't mind sharing" Harley interrupted. "It's just embarrassing" she'd admit before uttering a sigh. "I was a stripper in in New Vegas you see."

Troy and Trudy remained silent. It wasn't really something they expected at first. Troy would get ready to say something to comfort his companion, but she decided to continue her story.

"I ended up quitting and wandering around on my own maybe around six months ago" she'd assume. "I ended up getting captured by Legion, but" she stopped to giggle. "They act tough but I guess me talking and showing off my body soften them up."

"That kinda explains why you were so calm at Bonnie Springs" Troy murmured.

"Well those guys were amateurs compared to Caesar's guys. Then again, the Legion are probably amateurs compared to you" she'd compliment Troy.

"Erm, what do you mean?" Trudy asked.

Harley looked at the bartender with a confused look. She then realized that word probably hasn't gotten around yet. "Troy managed to kill a Legion leader along with a few of his troops."

Trudy's expression suddenly got dark. "Troy! You killed a leader?" she'd blurt out in disbelief. "You could have been Marked!" she'd warn.

Troy backed up against his seat. "Trudy calm down" he urged. "And what do you mean by Marked?"

"Troy if Caesar wants you dead, he marks you which means he sends people after you" Trudy explained. "If you killed somebody important, that gives Caesar a reason to mark you." It was obvious that Trudy was scared for Troy's life. The courier looked at his companion and saw a similar look on her face.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it like that" Harley said in a quieter voice than usual. "Troy I'm so sorry" she suddenly apologized. "Lets go and get you somewhere safe" she'd urge.

"Whoa Harley don't get so hasty. We'll be fine" Troy tried to comfort her.

"No Troy listen! Trudy is right. Those assassin's they're meant to finish there job well" Harley informed.

The two girls continued with their attempts to persuade Troy to take more cautious actions. Unfortunately for them, their friend wasn't having any of it. Troy's priority right now is Novac. He might be farther away from it now, but he's getting more and more clues. It would be absurd for him to stop now.

The courier looked at the gear on the table. He didn't buy much for himself other than stimpaks, a combat knife, and some special 9mm ammunition. Harley was nice enough to give back the scoped rifle since she decided to get herself a caravan shotgun, a .45 pistol with little ammo, and her own knife as well. The girl also managed to get a pair of clothes for herself and Troy.

The long silence broke after a gunshot sounded outside. The three, startled, looked towards the front door. Troy and Harley quickly packed up to head outside hoping the commotion isn't as bad as they think. Trudy headed over behind her bar counter to grab her revolver before meeting them outside.

After they met outside, their faces had a completely different look upon seeing what's going on. All three had shocked looks as they saw a dead settler along with a Legion member with feathers on his helmet placing a foot on Sunny. The guy had a 9mm pointed at the town guard's head. A combination of barks and growls then caught Troy's attention. He saw Cheyenne trying to escape the clenches of a teenage settler. It's only expected of a hound to try help out her master.

The Legionnaires attention had switched from Sunny to Troy. He pointed at the courier which led to the three other legionnaires noticing Troy's presence.

"You!" the leader with a foot on Sunny called out. "The Caesar has marked you for death!" the legionnaire threatened.

"Shit!" Troy blurted out as he quickly hid behind a pile of boxes as cover. He heard the bullets and noticed wooden chunks falling on the ground near him. He looked at Harley who reached for her shotgun and Trudy who raised her revolver. If Troy's friends were willing to fight, he was as well. Troy unholstered his 9mm and popped out of of his cover. Three of the other legionnaires ran towards him with machetes. For now, Troy didn't see them as much of a problem since the one with the gun was attempting to mow him down. Troy emptied a clip of +P ammo into the gunned legionnaire.

Troy didn't even watch the legionnaire fall. There was no time since three others were running towards him. In fact, Troy didn't have the time to reload. He dropped his pistol and pulled out his knife to parry the slash of one of his assailants. Another one came in to try finish Troy off. Unfortunately for him, Trudy was there to cover the courier while Harley shot the other one. Troy faced the legionnaire he parried who still wasn't backing down. The courier's foe came at him recklessly. All it took was another parry and a stab to the neck.

"Sloppy" Troy whispered into the legionnaires ear before dropping the body onto the ground before walking to Sunny to help her up. "You alright?" he'd ask.

Sunny patted the dust off of her. "Yea. They came out of nowhere threatening us to tell us where you were. Charles over there stood up to them" she'd point at the dead settler. "As you can see, it didn't end well" she'd finish with a grim look on her face. Cheyenne eventually came up to lick her master's hand. The action managed to cheer Sunny up a bit.

Troy shook his head in disbelief. "These fucking bastards" he muttered under his breath. He looked back at Harley and Trudy. There he noticed that other settlers watched the scenes that unfolded as well. "Harley. I think we should go."


	5. Past Information

Primm was definitely not the same compared to last time. The difference though is actually good for the town. This time, nobody was killing each other due to all the new NCR troopers patrolling. In other words, Primm was now NCR territory. At least the place was like another peaceful town. Well, peaceful for wasteland standards. Harley had taken a look at her partner's surprised look. Since she didn't really know what previously happened to Primm, she was confused.

"What's the big deal?" she asked.

Troy had awoken from his daydreaming. "Last time I was here, it was a bloodbath" he'd explain. "That and there were barely any troops here keeping shit under control.

"Is that so? Well I'm gonna go see if I can find a spot in the hotel" Harley proposed.

"Hotel was ransacked last time I was here" the courier quickly apprised.

Harley looked back at Troy with for some reason an annoyed look. She was tired so she's probably hating all the bad news. "Well maybe they fixed it don't ya think?" she replied in a sassy tone before walking off.

Troy uttered a sigh before yawning. He was tired too. "I'll catch up with you later. I have to meet someone" he hollered at the girl. After seeing a thumbs up given by his partner, Troy lowered his glance of the girl's body. He shook his head thinking that now is an inappropriate time. "Focus Troy" he muttered to himself before heading towards his destination.

The courier now stood in front of the Mojave Express. This was the building Nash worked at. There wasn't much reason other than curiosity for Troy to be here. He'd let in a deep breath before entering the building. Once inside, he was greeted the same polite old man just like last time.

"Well look who came back. How are you doing youngster?" Johnson greeted.

"Hey. I just had some questions for you if that's alright" Troy requested. The sight of a broken machine on the counter caught his eye.

"Well go right on ahead."

Troy took in another deep breath. "So you remember last time you mentioned my package being strange?" Troy asked.

The elderly trader nodded as he scratched his head. "Yea I remember" he'd start. "That cowboy robot had us hire six couriers." Troy thought back about whatever 'cowboy robot' Johnson was talking about. It wasn't long until he remember about Primm Slim in the Vikki & Vance casino. Troy's distraction broke when Johnson continued with his answer. "Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that kind of stuff. Last word I had from the office, it looked like the payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was just your chip that didn't make it."

Troy looking more frustrated now rubbed his temple. _Of course I had get that fucking package. Why else would I be in this mess_ he angrily thought to himself. Johnson paused his explanation until Troy gave the go ahead.

"First deadbeat we hired to do the job canceled. Hope a storm from the Divide skins him alive. Well, that's where you came in. Yeah, got this look when he saw you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked me if your name was for real."

Now Troy's look went from frustration to confusion. _So this 'original' Courier Six knows me?_ he'd ask in his thoughts. Looks like the old man's information was more important than the courier thought. At least it was personally.

Johnson once again continued with Troy's full attention. "I said, sure as lack of rain, you were still kicking. Then he turned down the job, just like that. I asked if he was sure, it was good money. No, let 'Courier Six' carry the package, that's what he said - like the Mojave'd sort you out or something. Then he just up and walked out." Johnson took a moment to sigh. It was a long and confusing story after all. "No idea. Sounds like you two had a history for him to act like that. And turn down the money, too. Hope he didn't see any trouble in that package of yours. Maybe he thought your name was bad luck. Not for me to say."

Troy winced at the comment. Johnson might have not meant it as an insult, but for some reason it pressed the courier's buttons. Unfortunately, the whole luck thing sounds true. Courier Six has been getting himself into some very shitty situations recently.

By now Six would be out the door, but he was trying to process everything and think deeply into his thoughts. Remembering wasn't going to be easy for him for a long time. Maybe it will never be easy for him. Troy looked at the counter and noticed a peace of paper.

"What's this?" Troy curiously asked as he picked up the note and started reading.

"That's an order made for the fourth courier. "Daniel Wyland was his name I believe. Unfortunately for him, he was killed when those convicts terrorized the town."

After reading the order instructions, Troy would set the piece of paper down. Thinking back, he remembered a dead corpse in front of the building. It's gone now so Nash and the other setters must have taken care of it.

"Oh, before you go" Johnson interrupted the courier's thoughts. The trader reached under his counter and took out some sort of revolver. "Your friend found this in the hotel after getting the NCR to take over Primm. Our mayor is some sergeant named McGee by the way." That explains all the NCR troopers in the town. "Either way, Griffon wanted you to have it" Nash said before placing the revolver on the counter. "He calls it Lucky."

Troy rolled his eyes with a smirk due to the irony. An unlucky man with a revolver named Lucky. What an interesting pairing. The courier took a look at the gun to see if it attracted his interest. The barrel, frame and cylinder are made of a smooth black metal decorated with ornate gold etchings, and the polished ivory handle is inlaid with the clubs symbol. The word "Lucky" is engraved on the silver plate on the ejector tube.

The courier picked the gun up to be met with a nice but familiar feeling. _Why do I feel like this fits me?_ Troy thought to himself. He looked up and noticed a box of .357 ammo place on the counter in front of him.

"Don't worry. I won't have you buy any ammo from me" Johnson said with a warm smile on his wrinkled face.

Six was walking towards the Bison Steve Hotel with Lucky in his hand. He was still confused that the gun felt extremely comfortable in his hand. Perhaps he's overthinking it. When he finally looked up, he noticed Harley smoking a cigarette at the entrance. Her eyes soon met with his which made her form a grin.

"You were right about the building unavailability" she'd say annoyed.

Troy grinned. "Don't worry. We can just camp out here" he'd propose.

* * *

"That's a pretty pretty toy you got there" Harley complimented the new magnum with a teasing intention.

Troy smiled with a lit cigarette in his mouth. It's good to see him amuse more than he was. "I'm grateful that Griffon and Nash gave this to me, but I might stick to the 9mm for now." He'd take the cigar out and offer it to his partner.

The girl nervously accepted the stick and would attempt to suck in some smoke. Immediately, she started violently coughing.

The courier raised an eyebrow at his partner. "You're new to smoking?"

"I literally just started" she'd say before laughing. She flicked the cigarette away since it's almost burned away. "So tell me more about Griffon."

Troy sighed. "Not much to say. I barely knew him, but he was nice I guess. He went out of his way to help this town with its sheriff problem even though he has his own shit to do." Troy uttered a sigh. He was still guilty about leaving his friend behind, but it the guilt irritated him. The irritation made him think about who he was before having a bullet lodged into his head.

"Troy" Harley interrupted Troy from staring off into the night sky. "Go to sleep. You'll probably need it to keep yourself from getting a bad headache like last time." The courier nodded as agreement. The girl was right. Troy layed down on his sleeping bag and would shut his eyes.

* * *

Both Troy and Harley were panting as they lay in front of the large statue of two figures shaking each others' hands. Troy felt really stupid for forgetting about how long the trip uphill would be. He would have mentally prepared himself. Harley on the other hand was obviously irritated due to the look on her face.

"Why are we hear again?" she'd ask her partner while heavily panting. "We just rested at Primm. She'd sit up and try to catch her breath.

"I need to see someone" Troy answered. He immediately got up and would leave Harley to rest. The courier headed towards where some wooden planks were placed in positions that would help lead to the roof of the barracks.

When on the roof, a sniper with an amused look on her face turned to meet him. It looked like the sniper noticed Troy's and Harley's arrival. The courier stared at the sniper with an annoyed look on his face.

"Ghost, are you done yet?" he'd ask.

The sniper would hold a finger up before laughing a little louder. It was fake, but the point was to annoy Troy in the first place. "That's a sight to remember." The laughing soon died down and her smile faded away. "Did you check out Nipton yet?" she asked. It was all down to business now.

Troy slowly nodded with a nervous look on his face. A single word was all that was needed. "Legion."

If it weren't for the sunglasses, Ghost's eyes could be seen widening. "This far West?" she blurted out. "You're fucking kidding me." She shook her head. "That's not outside the border. They're moving in, and fast. Nipton wasn't the most friendly town, but..." she had a gloomy look on her face. She then let out a sigh of disappointment. "Alright. Thanks for checking on that, wish it set my mind at ease, now I'm more on edge than ever."

There was nothing else Troy needed from the place. It was time for him to go back to being selfish. A lot of time was wasted. The odds of him finding this fucker in the checkered suit is a lot lower. Chances are that all the leads are gone. "If that's all you wanted, I'm done" the courier proclaimed.

The NCR sniper responded by giving Troy her thanks. "Well, thanks for hoofing it there and back, even if it was bad news. Wish we could spare the troops to go hunting, but orders are to stay put." The sniper made a dirty look. Troy could understand the feeling of being held back from trying to seek vengeance. "Fucking Mojave's going to hell, and all I can do is sit here and watch.

* * *

"Really? Four minutes. Four fucking mintues Troy! We walked up that giant ass hill, just so you can do something that takes four minutes!?" Harley screamed at her companion. Meanwhile, Troy just kept walking down the hill while trying his best to ignore the enraged girl.

"No breaks at all! No resupplying! Just you and some bitch chatting it away!"

The girl wasn't going to stop. It would be a while before seeing Nipton again. When the now burned town came to view, an unexpected encounter waited.

"Can't believe what happened to this place. Both the town's destruction and all the dead Legion members killed by you" Harley commented while looking at Troy.

The two suddenly stopped when their eyes met with a figure sitting against the General Store. Harley's hand approached the holster of her pistol, but was stopped by Troy's hand. He then shook his head. The courier started approaching the figure while Harley stood back and watched.

"Griffon" Troy would timidly call the figure out.

The guy suddenly raised his head and looked at his old friend. The look on Griffon's face made Troy feel some anguish. The guy had been crying, but for what? "Ayy Six" Griffon greeted back. "It's been a while."


	6. No Vacancy

**Stat Updates**

 **Troy Volk  
Level** **:** 8 **  
**S - 5  
P - 7  
E - 7  
C - 5  
I - 5  
A - 8  
L - 4  
 **Tagged Skills  
** Unarmed  
Sneak  
Survival  
 **Perks  
** Fast Shot  
Rapid Reload  
Gunslinger  
Intense Training  
Cowboy

 **Griffon Crowley  
Level** **:** 8 **  
**S - 7  
P - 5  
E - 8  
C - 6  
I - 4  
A - 5  
L - 6  
 **Tagged Skills  
** Explosives  
Guns  
Lockpick  
 **Perks  
** Power Armor Training  
Intense Training  
Heave, Ho!  
Toughness  
Demolitions Expert

 **Harley Furr  
Level: **8 **  
**S - 4  
P - 6  
E - 4  
C - 8  
I - 7  
A - 6  
L - 5  
 **Tagged Skills  
** Guns  
Barter  
Speech  
 **Perks  
** Black Widow  
Cherchez La Femme  
Shotgun Surgeon  
Travel Light

* * *

The three were now in a canyon looting the dead corpses of some gang members. After meeting reuniting with Griffon in Nipton, Troy learned about how the town was the home of his sister. Troy admitted that the dead Legionnaires were his doing. It eased his friend up a bit, but the thirst for revenge now lies within him. Nipton was the reason Griffon came into the Mojave. Troy felt the need to help him find a new reason. At first Griffon was hesitant, but proceeded to accept the invitation to travel with Troy again. This time, it would be permanent. Unless of course, the time for the two to depart comes.

Troy would lead the three out of the canyon while the other two stood behind him and socialized. Griffon looked like he was enjoying his conversation, but the feeling of distress was noticed in his eyes. All Harley could do was try her best with the conversation. It was gonna be a while before the man could get over what he just saw.

"Hey Six" Griffon suddenly called out.

Troy turned his head while walking. "Hm?"

"Novac right?"

The courier nodded. The lack of communication sort of worried Harley. The truth is, Troy doesn't really know what to say. Instead, he just let Harley do all the talking. After all, she has a way with words. Be it a good thing or bad thing.

Eventually the group saw some large lizard like statue in the distance. Troy and Griffon looked at the sight confused. It was such an odd thing in the wasteland to come into their view. Harley wasn't too surprised. She's already seen the large lizard once.

"That's Novac by the way" the girl interrupted the two's gaze at the structure.

The three wanderers would approach the dinosaur statue. There was a building next to a fence. On the fence was a sign that read 'No Vacancy.' The twist is that the O in No and -ancy in Vacancy were turned off. Troy chuckled a bit after noticing.

The three would continue into the building. They were greeted by an old lady sitting behind a desk.

"Well. Welcome to you three. Ya'll look tired from the road. Why don't you relax a spell, let this fine town take care of you?" she'd request.

Harley decided to take speaking to others into her custody. Troy and Griffon weren't even allowed a chance to speak.

"Hello there. I'm Harley" the girl greeted. He'd point at Troy. "This guy right is Troy" she then moved her finger towards Griffon. "And this one is Griffon."

"Oh, what am I doing?" the old lady chuckled a bit while shaking her head. "I got to thinking about making a good impression and pain forgot to tell you my name." Harley gave the old woman a warm and innocent smile. That alone made the woman ease up. "I'm Jeannie May. I take care of folks here at the motel" she'd introduce. "Long as they aren't trouble makers" she added a little more quietly.

Troy took a step forward and ended up next to Harley. The girl looked at her companion and noticed a serious look to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was too late since Troy's business was with Jeannie.

"I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat" the courier would start. "Have you seen anyone like that?"

"Still looking for him" Griffon quickly asked. The only response he got was Troy looking back and nodding at his friend.

"Well he might've been wearing a fancy outfit, but he wasn't any kind of a gentlemen to me." Troy's insides were ready to jump. He was so happy that it was this easy to get a lead despite how far behind he is.

Jeannie May would continue to answer the courier's question. "Had his nose stuck so high in the air, you couldn't see it above the clouds. City folk, they always think they deserve better than what they got. Those hoodlums he was with seemed to know Manny for some reason. He's our daytime sniper, up in the dinosaur's mouth."

"You could enter the dinosaur?" Griffon blurted out.

Jeanie May looked ready to laugh. "That's right. Cliff runs the souvenir shop inside of it. Tell him I mentioned you. I think he gets lonely standing around in that dino belly all day. He'll be glad for the company." Griffon was overreacting with the news. He was really eager now. It made Troy and Harley happier to see that he's acting more normal. Hopefully it'll last.

"Thank you" Troy would say before heading off.

"Whoa hold on Troy" Harley quickly stopped him. "Don't rush off so quickly." Troy had an impatient look. He was ready to argue, but Harley turned towards Jeanie May. "Any chance you got a room for sale?"

The old lady nodded. "I'll give you a flat rate, and you can stay as long as you like. Least till the busy season comes. Sound good?"

"Oh Jeanie you're too generous" Harley complimented. She felt bad she was being offered a deal like this.

"No, no. I insist. The three of you are all good young kids." Ironically Harley's the youngest being 26.

Harley uttered a sigh as she pulled out the caps needed. "I appreciate the offer."

"Why thank you darling" Jeanie replied. The old lady grabbed something from under the counters. She'd then set a key in front of Harley. "I'm glad you can stay with us. Your room will be the one upstairs, closest to the lobby side. Let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay better for you."

Troy was immediately headed towards the t-rex. Without thinking, Griffon followed behind. The guy probably needs a bit of supplies. That and some drinks to forget about Nipton.

Harley rolled her eyes as she watched the two walk off. "Fine I guess I'll check out our room on my own" she'd holler at them. Griffon looked back with a smirk on his face while Troy ignored her and kept walking. The girl was happy that at least one of them reacted. She'd soon head to their room.

"Welcome to the Dino Bite Gift Shop" an African-American man greeted the two guys. "My name's Cliff. If you're here for the t-rex figurines, you're just in time. There's still a few left."

"Jeannie May sent us" Griffon said, ignoring the mentioning of figurines.

A smile formed on the cashier's face. "Bless her. Seems like every traveler I get in here tells me the same thing. "They see the sign and think, gift shop? That's just too good to be true. But Jeannie May always points them back at my direction. Well, a friend of Jeannie's is a friend of mine. And my friends get a discount at my store."

Both Troy and Griffon blinked while shaking there head like they were in synced. Two generous acts in less than ten minutes was enough to surprise the two.

"Man, Novac is too polite to the point where I don't believe it" Troy said while looking at his friend.

Cliff threw his head back and laughed. "Well, that's our town for you. So anything here you're interested in?"

"Right, so whatcha sellin?" Griffon asked.

"Well, there's t-rex figurines, of course."

 _Weird. That's the second time that was mentioned._ Troy thought with a bored look on his face. _Is he just trying to get rid of them?_

"We also have an assortment of the REPCONN factory souvenirs - rockets, things of that nature." Troy still wasn't interested. He had the same look on his face.

Griffon scratched the back of his head. He also wasn't interested, but unlike Troy he was trying to be polite about it.

"Do you sell guns?" Troy suddenly blurted out. Griffon jumped by the sudden question and glared at Troy. It seems that Troy didn't change much when it comes to manners. _If he has guns, he'll have other things that we need._ Troy thought.

"Guns?" Cliff nervously repeated. "I, uh, well... yeah, I guess I might have a few" he'd answer with a disappointed tone. "Darn it. No one ever buys the t-rexes" the clerk muttered. Unfortunately, Troy and Griffon heard.

The two childishly looked at each other both with faces that were holding back laughter. Griffon, still trying to be polite frantically shook his head hoping that Troy wouldn't burst out any second.

"I'm gonna go check that sniper out" Troy blurted out before scurrying out of the gift shop. He was now in the mouth of a t-rex with a smile on his face. A sniper wearing a red beret and a black vest over a red long sleeve shirt was sitting on a chair. He turned after hearing the door shut behind him. He was of Hispanic decent, had a trimmed mustache and beard on his chin.

"What's going on man?" he'd say to Troy.

"You're Manny right?" Troy asked. The sniper would nod his head at the courier. Troy's smile faded away. It was time to get serious. "I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat."

"Sure, I know him. What do you want with him?" Manny replied. The quick response made Troy uncomfortable. Everybody else took a couple seconds to think.

"I have a score to settle" Troy answered.

Manny shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me. Guy seemed like he'd do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Probably makes a lot of enemies." The sniper stood up and would take a couple steps closer to Troy while rubbing the back of his head. "Well listen, I can definitely help you find him, but I've got problems of my own. Maybe we can do a trade. You need my help. There's something I need too.

"Go on" the courier responded with eagerness.

The sniper took a deep breath. "Novac, it's home for me now. I want that to be for good. I like it he-"

"Just tell me the job" Troy impatiently interrupted.

Manny gave the courier a dirty look. Troy didn't really seem fazed by it. The sniper would continue his request. "There's an old rocket test site nearby. A bunch of ghouls showed up one day and took it over. We can't get in there now" Manny informed his contractor.

"I'm assuming you want them gone?"

"You got that right" Manny simply replied. "Doesn't matter to me what you do. As long as the ghouls are out of there, that's good enough for me."

Troy sighed. He didn't want to clear out the test site, but if it was how he's gonna learn more about his murderer, then so be it. "I'll get it done" he promised.

"It'd mean a lot to me" Manny would timidly end the discussion.

* * *

Harley would let out a loud groan while dragging herself closer to her two companions. "Is clearing this site gonna be worth it at all?" she'd ask Troy.

"To us, no. To Novac, maybe."

"Griffon, what's your take on this?" Harley asked.

Griffon didn't notice Harley until she punched his shoulder. He looked up from the newly purchased assault carbine he was inspecting. "What?" he'd ask with a dumbfounded look.

Harley opened her mouth to insult the guy, but managed to hold it in. "Nevermind" she'd respond with another groan.

Troy stopped and took out his hunting rifle. He'd crouch down and look through the scope. Harley crouched down with him, but Griffon continued walking while staring at his new weapon in awe.

Harley had an irritated look on her face. She opened her mouth to scream at the guy, but Troy interrupted.

"Just leave him be. My gunshot will wake him up." The courier found the head of a feral ghoul in the crosshair. He pulled the trigger and watched as the head blew into bits.

Griffon jumped and raised his assault carbine. He fired it at a couple of nearby ghouls that were attracted by Troy's gunshots. He then glared back at Troy and Harley. While Troy reloaded, Harley rolled on the ground with laughter.

"The look on your face!" she'd point out.

Griffon looked ahead and advanced ignoring the two. Eventually, Troy and Harley followed.

"There's a lot of loot here" Harley indicated. She'd start scavenging while the others scouted ahead.

"So how's Lucky?" Griffon suddenly asked Troy.

The courier looked at his friend with a confused look at first. "Oh! That revolver?" Griffon nodded. "I haven't used it yet. I don't know if I'd be good with revolvers."

Griffons shrugged. "It's yours so it ain't gonna matter to me what ya do with it."

The three now stood in front of the entrance. There weren't as many ghouls as expected in the courtyard. If the amount inside wasn't at least tripled, then Troy would have been disappointed that Novac actually required mercenary assistance instead of having their own settlers take care of this minor problem. Once inside the building, a voice in the intercom startled the three. Each one of them raised their weapons expecting a fight. Instead, it was just a greeting.

"Hey! Over here! Are you listening?" Troy, Griffon, and Harley had their full attention on the intercom. "Go to the big room on the east side of this building and take the metal staircase all the way up. And hurry." Troy winced at how raspy the voice sounded. There wasn't much he could remember, but he knows that there were certain wastelanders that didn't necessarily look or sound pretty. Perhaps this was one of them.

"Who are you?" Troy tried asking.

"Who I am doesn't matter, smoothskin. Stop wasting time and get up here." That nickname did it for Troy. This person was a ghoul. And not a feral ghoul. A ghoul that can do the exact same things humans can. The only difference is their looks and voice. Troy looked at both his companions. They were ready when he was.

The three would proceed with the directions given to them. The feral ghouls were no trouble. What concerned them were the dead bodies of ghouls with robes on. They were armed with laser weapons as well. Not only that, but there were piles of dust here and there which indicated that they were killed by the armed ghouls. It just doesn't make sense that these the dead ones were killed by ferals it had to be something else.

"Weren't there some dust piles outside?" Harley pointed out. Troy and Griffon looked at each other and shrugged. She was the only one scavenging, so it wasn't a surprise that she was the only one that noticed.

The three of them soon found themselves in a big room. The room was empty other than the bodies of a brahmin with its gut open, a couple dead ghouls which robes on, and a large blue humanoid figure.

"Mutants" Griffon muttered under his breath as he glared at the dead body. Troy and Harley looked at each other with concern over their friend's sudden mood change. "Let's keep going" Griffon demanded. Wanting to avoid a fight with the big guy, Troy and Harley followed behind him.

They followed Griffon up some staircase into a hallway. As they approached, a metal door came into view. A sudden voice from out of nowhere made the three survivors jump.

"All right, Smoothskin, I'm letting you in." Troy noticed an intercom on the wall next to the door. "You better watch yourself. I'll sure as hell be watching you" the ghoul continued. A click was heard behind the metal door. It signified that it was now unlocked.

Upon entering, the three stopped and stared at the figure ahead of them.

"God, but are you ugly! Get upstairs and talk to Jason before I throw up just from looking at you" the voice from the intercom ordered. The thing about the situation is that this guy isn't what he considers himself to be. The guy had a very thin tonsure haircut with a mustache. He wore a labcoat with a shirt and a tie underneath. To top it all off, this guy was what he's been calling Troy and his friends. This guy was human, but forced out the voice of a ghoul.

"You ain't no ghoul" Griffon blurted out. Troy and Harley looked at him, then back at the 'ghoul.' Each of them had a dumbfounded look on their faces.

"Your pranks won't work on me, smoothskin. They won't work on Jason, either" the 'ghoul' replied.

"Your skin looks pretty smooth dontcha think?" Griffon asked with a worried expression.

"Stop wasting my time, smoothskin. Go waste Jason's" the 'ghoul' commanded before walking off.

"Is this guy for real?" Harley asked in a quiet voiced. Both Troy and Griffon stood there speechless.

After regaining their thoughts, the three of them looked around for this Jason the smoothskin ghoul mentioned. As they wandered around the area, they encountered other ghouls with robes on the dead ones outsides. Troy along with his friends assumed them as casualties of this odd group. Suddenly, some sort of brightness blinded the three. When their eyes adjusted, they noticed a particular ghoul with a green glow on its body.

"Hello, wanderer" the glowing one greeted. The voice of the glowing ghoul was odd. It was electronically resonating. Similar to a robot. "Please forgive us of our humble surroundings. Our true home awaits in the Far Beyond" the ghoul would apologize. "Have you come to help us complete the Great Journey?"

"Maybe let us know what's up with your human friend" Griffon asked before giving his companions a chance to speak. It seems that he's more disturbed about the smoothskin ghoul more than Troy and Harley combined.

"You're referring to Chris. I doubt you had much luck if you tried telling him he's human."

Griffon astoundingly threw his hands up in the air. "Unbelievable!"

"We had the same discussions when he first appeared, and the same lack of success. He believes he is one of us" Jason continued. "Soon enough we realized that Chris was a gift from the creator. He is integral to the success of the Great Journey."

Harley looked at Griffon. "You done talking?"

Griffon slowly nodded with a defeated look. Hopefully there won't be anymore strange things going on to put more stress on him.

Harley took in a deep breath. "So who are you suppose to be?"

"I am Jason Bright, the prophet of the Great Journey. All the ghouls you see here are members of my flock."

"Okay. Well it's nice to meet you" Harley attempted to be polite. "So what's this 'Great Journey' you keep on mentioning?"

"We wish to escape the barbarity of the human wasteland, especially the violence and bigotry of human inhabitants. The creator has promised to my flock a new land: a place of safety and healing... a paradise in the Far Beyond."

"Sounds like a loud of bullshit" Troy mumbled under his breath. Nobody heard which was probably a good thing.

"Preparations for the Great Journey were nearly complete when the demons appeared" the glowing ghoul finished.

Harley tilted her head, Troy raised an eyebrow, Griffon's head shot straight up with his back erect. "Demons?" they'd all ask.

"The demons appeared from nowhere... except it might be more accurate to say they never actually 'appeared' at all" Jason explained. "The demons are invisible."

"Nightkins" Griffon interrupted with the attempt to correct the ghoul. Jason however would continue his explanation.

"Where one of them stands, the most one sees is the air shimmering, like sunlight on water... They set upon us as we were on our way to worship the one morning. We had just entered the basement. My flock fought bravely, and killed a few, but at such cost. Nearly half of us died or went missing. The rest of us retreated up here. One of the demons raved at us, but they have not tried to attack us since. Still their demonic presence brought all progress towards the Great Journey to a standstill. But now you have come. Once again, the creator has sent a human to help us across a seemingly insurmountable obstacle."

Troy rolled his eyes at the whole creator and Great Journey bullshit.

Harley was still curious on the whole situation. "What do you mean by 'raving?'"

Griffon groaned. He has been bored of Jason talking for a while now.

"Yes, over the intercom. Threats of death should we step outside, guarantees of safety should we stay locked away. It went on for hours, and did not always make sense. But was the first day only. Since then, silence. Will you drive away the demons, wanderers?"

Griffon, excited that the conversation was about to end, opened his mouth, but was suddenly interrupted.

"No" Troy blatantly answered.

His two companions quickly turned their heads towards him. "NO!?" they'd scream. If it wouldn't be for them, Jason would have said something.

"There's only one god damn reason I'm here, and that's to help Manny so he can give me information about this fucker who shot me. I don't give a damn what you two say. I'm not clearing out the basement" Troy would cross his arms and stand his ground.


	7. Demons'

"Harley you're a real bitch you know that?" The insult itself was randomly thrown out due to how irritated Troy is.

The three of them just now entered the basement. Harley smiled and held her head up high. She was able to convince Troy to help out the ghouls after all. Griffon on the other hand was ignoring the two and looking very restless with his assault carbine out. It could be boredom, and/or that he's looking to let some anger out. Troy and Harley almost forgot about the downfall of Nipton which heavily affected him.

Suddenly, Griffon stopped and turned his head. "Ya'll know how to deal with Nightkins right?"

The two answers were completely different with Harley giving a straightforward "Yes" and with Troy giving a unmotivated "Don't know."

Griffon uttered a sight. "Oi Harley. Cover Troy's back. I got the front" he'd calmly order.

The three found themselves in front of a door. Griffon cautiously opened it while aiming his rifle. He led the group into a hallway. The group's rifleman stood still and would focus his eyesight to look for anything out of the ordinary. He'd look back at Troy and Harley to motion for them to follow him into the hallway. Everybody followed while having their weapons raised. Griffon led while Harley watched their back. Troy remained in the middle and felt a little out of place. The courier felt that he doesn't really belong in the position his companions put him in. It was probably for the best though since Troy doesn't really know what he's up against.

Griffon suddenly stopped causing Troy to walk right into his back. There was an odd feeling on the courier's nose. It didn't take long for Troy to realize that it was pain. He was ready to lash out at the big guy, but the sigh to of a large blue humanoid body without a head caught his attention. Troy felt that there were more around, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Yo, Harley. Got any pins for this?" Griffon asked. Harley, while aiming down the corridor approached the rifleman. She lowered her bag and searched through it. She ended up losing her sight of the hallway.

Troy however kept staring. A certain area down the hall suddenly looked blurry to him. At first, Troy thought it was his eyes deceiving him. He knew that wasn't the case when blur continued to grow. He looked back at his friends wanting to warn them. They were too busy with the door and ignoring him. The courier rolled his eyes as he took out his 9mm. He'd carefully aim down the sights before firing a couple shots at the blur.

A sudden roar startled the courier. The blur started to flicker until a figure like the dead body he stood next to appeared. This figure actually had a head. That and a giant hammer looking object. Without hesitation, the monster charged at him.

"Oh fuck" Troy exclaimed. He continued to fire his gun, but widen his eyes as he saw the blue monster taking on the bullets like they were pebbles. Eventually, the gun clicked. Troy frantically pressed a button on the gun causing the magazine to fall out. At the same time, he grabbed a second one and loaded in. Troy pulled the receiver back, but the moment he looked up the monster had its hammer like object raised. It was too late.

The loud sound of a shotgun caused Troy's ears to ring. The monster's head suddenly exploded which led to blood being splattered on Troy's face.

"Get in!" Griffon screamed. Without hesitation, Troy turned and ran into the room his companions managed to open. The moment he and Harley were inside, Griffon closed the door. Troy was panting since he nearly died... again.

"Here's a tip. Use a stronger gun" Griffon teased.

"Come and get it, you big dumb - " the sound of a ghoulish voiced made the group turn. Up on a metal balcony in the room was a ghoul more heavily armed the Jason's group. "Hey! You're not one of those things out there" the ghoul noted. "Who are you?"

"We're just some explorers" Harley replied. By now it's obvious that she's taken the negotiating job of the group. "So what brings you here?"

"Maybe you noticed a bunch of invisible monsters out there?" Troy shuttered at the ghoul's response. "I've been in here trying to to get dead."

"How'd you end up trapped down here?" Harley asked.

"First off, I'm not trapped" the ghoul jumped to his own defense. "This was a tactical choice, all right?" he determined. "I'm no match for those things out there, so I found a good defensive position, and I've been defending it, right?" The ghoul suddenly groaned. "Aw, who am I fooling? I'm trapped" he'd admit in defeat. "Name's Harland. Pleased to meet you."

The ghoul, who is now known as Harland, began to tell his story. Troy looked restless obviously not wanting to hear it. "What happened was, I was escorting folks down to work when those things attacked us. Most of the fight was upstairs, but some folks panicked and made for the basement. And I went after them. Well, turns out there were even more of those bastards down here then upstairs, and things went to shit fast. I couldn't find the others, so I fell back to this room and set up a nice little kill zone. End of story." Troy yawned and rubbed his eyes. The day was starting to get to him. He was ready to pass out.

Harley took noticed of Troy's body language. She was ready to wrap it up. "You in Bright's group?"

Harland nodded. "I never really bought the religious mumbo-jumbo with the robes and all that shit." Troy's head shot straight up. Was he hearing that this ghoul and him might possibly have something in common. "It gets lonely out in the wastes, okay? And I don't have to tell you that Bright's group has some fine-looking ghoulettes in it!" Troy felt like he gagged. Perhaps he and this ghoul can't get along after all. Harland noticed Troy's reaction and realized what he just said. "Eh... or maybe I would have to tell you..." the ghoul shook his head with embarrassment on his face. "Anyways, I helped them out, and they kept me supplied with ammo and pleasant company."

After the lone ghoul's continued story, Griffon was also starting to look bored. Harley took note of it, and even though she wanted to wrap things up so the two boys could stop pouting, she'd feel guilty to just leave Harland here. "So why are you hold up here? Anything we can do to get you down?" she'd ask.

"Ha! Well you're polite, I'll give you that" Harland said with a smirk. "If this was just between you and me, I'd do as you ask. But it's not" Harland's voice went back to a dark tone. "I had a friend with me when those mutant bastards came out of nowhere."

Troy quietly muttered under his breath with an annoyed look. "Of course." Harley punched Troy's shoulder while staring up at the lone ghoul. Even though it didn't hurt, Troy couldn't help letting out a yelp. "Ow!"

Even with it being loud enough for the ghoul to hear, Harland continued his story. "She panicked and ran the wrong direction - further into the basement." Troy and Griffon both couldn't help but roll their eyes at this. It was good for the both of them that not only Harland, but Harley especially didn't notice. "She's probably dead," Harland went on. "But I ain't leaving until I know for sure. I'd have gone looking myself, except I wouldn't last a minute out there. You three on the other hand, seem pretty resourceful. Find my friend, and I'll get out of your way."

* * *

"Again, why the hell do we have to help him?" Troy complained.

"Can you just stop acting like a child?" a distressed Harley responded as she looted a dead Nightkin they just now killed. She's starting to look under the weather. That's not good since nobody in the group is now feeling motivated.

Griffon got ready to back Harley up. "Manny wanted ALL the ghouls gone. Harland counts too ya know?"

Troy rolled his eyes as he approached a closed door. When opening it, he jumped and nearly screamed by the sight of a non-invisible Nightkin holding a brahmin skull.

"Antler says you are the one killing my kin. Antler says you must die!" the Nightkin threatened as it pulled out its weapon. Unlike the other Nightkins, this one held a large sword. Something that scares Troy a lot more.

After loading an entire magazine into the Nightkin, Troy threw his hands up in the air seeing how the beast was still charging at him. "Oh come the fuck on!" The monster slashed at the courier, but thankfully Troy was quick enough to duck and dodge. The courier noticed how much faster he is compared to the beast. Troy tried reloading his 9mm, but instead he saw the barrel of the gun shatter. The next thing he saw was the sparks created by the blade's impact with the ground. "Again, come the fuck on!" The Nightkin kicked Troy's chest which hurled him back against the wall.

"Die!" the Nightkin roared. It suddenly stopped and let out a cry of pain after it's back was being loaded by Griffon and Harley. It stood still for a few seconds before finally collapsing in front of Troy.

Griffon ran up and crouched down in front of Troy. "Ya good buddy?" Troy groaned. He then suddenly felt discomfort in his arm. The courier turned his head and noticed Griffon injecting Med-X. "There ya go" he'd say before helping his friend up.

Troy took off his bag and dug through it. He pulled out Lucky, loaded it up, and spun the receiver. "Let's just hurry this shit up."

The three would then continue further into the basement with Griffon once again leading. In the middle of a corridor Harley quickly stopped Griffon by grabbing his shoulder. When he turned to find out what her problem is, Harley pointed. Both Griffon and Troy took a look. At first they didn't see much. Suddenly, an outline of an obvious silhouette was there. Griffon shrugged and simply aimed and opened fire.

The Nightkin's stealth boy deactivated as the now breathless creature dropped to floor.

"Man, they're easy" Griffon taunted. He noticed another blur ahead. "You ain't that good at staying hidden" he'd mock. The Nightkin appeared all of a sudden. Griffon lowered his gun and gulped. The Nightkin grinned as it raised some big ass device. "Great. A flamer."

Troy and Harley pushed Griffin into a maintenance room before the Nightkin pulled the trigger. They watched flames erupting in the hallway.

Troy quickly got up and watched outside of the door. The flames suddenly stopped. He took that moment and jumped out of the room with Lucky out. He aimed at the Nightkin and fired. The monster's head bounced back before falling forward.

"Holy shit" Griffon blurted out. "That was badass!"

Troy looked back with a grin. He shrugged. "I don't know what happened. My body moved on its own."

Griffon opened his mouth to give out more compliments, but Harley was the first to speak. Surprisingly, she sounded angry. "Yea, yea. You made yourself look good. Let's just hurry up and find Harland's friend!" Troy and Griffon both stared at her in disbelief. Neither of them expected an outburst. Perhaps her current stress level is a lot worse than the two could have thought.

* * *

"I see. Well, spare me the details." Harland had a saddened look on his face. "Damn it, I'm going to miss that crooked, yellow smile..."

Griffon and Harley both had guilty looks on their faces while Troy looked like he could care less. A lot less.

"All right, you did your part. I'm going to make a break for the topside. Harland then rand down the stairs and sprinted pass the three. Troy blinked a few times speechless. "He could have just came with us" he muttered.

Griffon and Harley were to upset to respond due to Harland's reaction. Troy was very confused. He didn't understand why there were so sad, but felt it was best to not ask them. Instead, he followed his companions back to the Bright Followers. All three of them were happy to finally be done. Troy especially.

"Is the way clear?" Jason asked with a concerned tone.

"Those 'demons' are gone" Griffon answered. It took stress off of Harley. She looked like she had enough talking with these religious freaks. Turns out she also finds the fate of their's bizarre.

"Praise the creator!" Jason celebrated with joy. "And bless you, wanderers! The way is clear." Jason would all of a sudden grasp Griffon's hand and wildly shake it like a little kid. "I want you to know that we will remember for all eternity how you delivered us to the threshold of the Great Journey. Our prepartations are nearly complete, but the rockets that will carry us to salvation are yet missing vital components."

Chris walked up next to Jason to help him finish. "We need you to find an intact, shielded container of am igniting agent of Isotope-239 along with a set of thrust control modules. That was it. Jason and Chris soon turned to walk off.

Griffon and Harley looked at each other with distressed looks. They both sighed and figured they might as well continue. They walked passed Troy, who had a grim look on his face along with a different idea.

The courier's blood would boil as his companions walked off. They already did so much for Jason and his followers. Yet, they still want more from the three? Troy's pissed. First, they had to kill the ferals, then they were requested to kill the Nightkins. Suddenly, one of their own asked to look for his dead friends. And apparently that's not the end of their bombardment of assignments. After thinking back some more. Thinking back all the way since he's risen up from the grave, Troy has been doing needless requests for almost everyone he's met. Ringo, Nash, Ghost, Manny, and now fucking Jason. Well Troy's done. In fact, he's lost it.

"I am not your fucking errand boy!" he suddenly screamed along with Lucky slowly being pointed at the glowing ghoul.

Jason, his followers, Griffon and Harley. All of them slowly turned towards Troy. Each and every one of them widen their eyes. Troy had his finger on the trigger. He didn't even hesitate.


	8. Tensions

_**Would you look at that? Two updates in one weekend. Those of you who don't know, I update every weekend. :P Either way, leave reviews! I really don't know if you guys are liking my story or not. That and I need criticism on whether I need to fix things or not.**_

* * *

The sunset was probably the most beautiful thing Troy has seen in a while. He'd watch as he stood in front of the Dinky statue. Manny's shift was either finished, or close to finished. It would be best if Troy were to let him know about the ghouls. As Troy passed the gate, he noticed Harley leaning against the wall next to their room on the second floor. She was smoking a cigarette, and ignored Troy's gaze at her.

The courier uttered a sigh. It's no surprise that she and Griffon were gonna treat him harshly for a while. Especially after what Troy did.

When the three headed back to Novac from the facility, everyone was quiet. Troy led the group while the other two remained behind him. Any valuable loot was left behind. Everyone was too discouraged and shocked at Troy's actions, that they just completely ignored the value in anything.

Troy pulled on his leather armor. A lot of chunks of it were missing, and certain areas still burned from the laser weapons. He'd then stop after spotting Manny exiting the t-rex. The nighttime sniper, Boone was ready for his shift. Troy couldn't help but notice the two snipers glare at each other as they passed by. Must have been a hell of a history.

The courier approached the daytime sniper. "You have any luck with the ghouls?" the sniper asked. "I'm counting on you."

"They're all gone" Troy simply answered.

"Really?" Manny's eyes widened with joy. It must have been that big of a deal then. "Unbelievable, man! I knew it wasn't gonna be easy, but I had a good feeling about you" Manny examined the damaged look on Troy. The courier didn't have a much of a pleasant face. If anything, it was just a blank expression.

"You look like you've been through a lot" Manny indicated.

"Tell me about it" Troy replied with an uneasy tone. "So about the man I'm looking for..."

Manny nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know, like I promised." The sniper's expr"ession was lot more serious now. "The guy you're looking for, Benny, he was traveling with some members from my old gang. They were going to Boulder City."

"Where's Boulder City?" the courier asked.

"It's straight up Route 93 from here. Just keep following the road north" Manny answered.

The courier let out a sigh. He found another lead. "Thank you Manny" he thanked. The two would grasp onto each other's hands.

"Hope that helps you. I owed you after all" they'd shake their hands before letting go and parting ways.

Troy looked back and watched the daytime sniper enter his room. The courier looked at his room door to see that Harley was no longer there. He would then utter another sigh before leaning against one of the pulled out a pack of his cigarettes as the door of the Dinky statue opens. The t-rex cashier would walk down and wave at the courier. Troy politely waved back as he watched Cliff enter the bungalow he was leaning on. Troy would place the cigarette in between his lips and pull out a lighter. The moment he lit the cigarette another door opened. He'd turn his head and noticed it was the door of another bungalow. An NCR soldier would walk out with crutches.

The old soldier gave Troy a warm smile as he leaned against his own bungalow. "We haven't met yet. You must be new in town. I'm Andy."

The courier would put away his lighter and walked towards the soldier. Troy had his hands up in front of him. Since Andy leaned against the structure, he had an easy time shaking Troy's hand. "I'm Troy" the courier greeted. "So what's your business here?" Troy asked trying to start a conversation.

"Right now?" Andy looked up at the sky. It was dark. "A whole lot of sitting on my keister and counting cracks in the ceiling. I wouldn't wish it on anybody." Andy didn't look too happy.

Troy removed the cigarette from his mouth and puffed out some smoke away from the soldier.

"On better days I help keep the peace. Boone and Vargas watch the road, I watch the town. Tell myself I'm doing some good."

Troy would place the cigarette back in between his lips. He examined the injured soldier and noticed some dog tags. "NCR?" Troy assumed. Then again, that faction is the only one with dog tags. At least the only one Troy knows about.

Andy chuckled. "Was. Was with them. That was back when my arm and leg used to work better. I still like to pretend I'm a Ranger, though. I'll check in with the guys at the station pretty regular on the ham radio." Andy formed the same warm smile as before. "Sometimes they stop by, tell me they're paying their respects, the smug bastards. They haven't been responding to me, last couple of days. I guess they got tired of hearing me talk, but it's still got me a little worried" Andy explained with a concerned look. "Hell, listen to me talk. Like some damn mother hen."

"I could go and check if you want. I don't see myself sleeping anytime soon" Troy offered.

"Uh... no. No. They're gonna think I'm having trouble letting go. They're good soldiers. I don't give them enough credit." Troy shrugged. He honestly was thinking about checking on them either way. It's not like he has anything better to do.

"So, I hate to ask" Troy started. He'd take the cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it. He'd step on it before continuing the question. "What happened to your leg?" he'd ask out of curiosity.

Andy uttered a sigh since the sensitive topic came up. "Two things happened" he'd start. It turns out he isn't gonna shy out of the topic after all. "The first time though was more like half my body. Knocked me out of the Rangers" he explained. "This time it's mostly just reminded me how useless I've gotten."

Troy slowly nodded giving his full attention. Andy took note of it.

"A few years back, we get a tip that some Legion slavers were holed up in this burnt out house a few klicks from where we were stationed. We get there and it's deserted. No sign anyone's been there. I mean nothing. As we're leaving, I hear something behind me. I turn around and there's this kid, just skin and bone, and he's looking up at us and he's scared half to death. Been hiding in a closet."

The courier nodded again, motivating the retired soldier to continue. Even though the memories were painful, Andy didn't stop the story right there.

"I go to grab him out of there and I notice he's holding something in his hand. Something metal. He shuts himself back inside the closet and that's when I see the grenade he's left by my feet." The soldier uttered a sigh and crossed his arms as he leaned against his bungalow. "They do it a lot, the Legion. Using kids. They know we'll hesitate." Troy shook his head. Something like that is just another disgusting thing this world possesses. "Anyway, that was the first time. Second time I fell down those stairs in front of the motel. Just in case I got to thinking I'd put it all behind me." Andy chuckled at that. It was an attempt to lighten up the mood. Even though it was hard, Troy managed to tag along.

"So what about you?" Andy suddenly asked.

Troy raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't exactly know what the soldier meant.

Andy pointed at his forehead. "You got a scar there. Figured you might as well share your story."

Troy nodded now that he fully understood. The courier took in a deep breath. "You see, I was just a mailman" he'd start. "I never really thought people would be desperate to take what I carry. I found out how wrong I was after getting shot in the head."

Andy was pretty interested in the story as he listened.

"Some say I was lucky to survive that shot. I honestly wish I died that day. My past life, I have no memory of. And what's worse, I've been getting into shit situations along with getting a bunch of pounding headaches" the courier explained.

"I'm sorry to hear" Andy comforted. "So what are you doing now?"

"Well, I guess I'm trying to get my package back" Troy answered. It was partially the truth. What he really wanted was Benny's death.

"Why not move on?" the soldier asked.

Troy only shrugged which made the ranger frown.

"Sounds like you want revenge to me" Andy started.

Troy slightly grinned and lightly nodded. "Perhaps." The soldier has keen eye that's for sure.

"You should stop before you become as useless at me" Andy suggested.

Troy's smile faded as he looked at the ranger. "Your body might be injured but your mind sure isn't. You're wrong if you think you're useless."

That seemed to have hit the ranger hard. Andy smiled. "Heh. People don't exactly line up to find out what's in my head. Can't remember the last time someone suggested I knew something worth knowing." Andy grabbed his crutches and stood up as straight as he possibly could. "You know, maybe there's something I can do for you. Since you've gone to all the trouble of flattering a crippled old soldier."

* * *

"Why do you keep defending him?" a female voice bitterly asked.

Griffon wouldn't look at Harley as he refilled his magazines on the couch. "Look, we've all done shit. We can't belittle Six after his damage."

Harley through his hands up in the air. "He murdered all those people!" she argued.

Griffon stopped and looked up at Harley. "Them people were gonna die either way. That religion of their's were compete bullshit dontcha think?"

The blonde shook her head in disbelief. She'd lay down on her bed and stare at the ceiling. Tension has been high ever since they came back. One side believes that they should control the defective courier. The other believes to give him a chance.

Griffon stood up and walked next to Harley. "Ya know I used to kill innocents too right?" This made the girl look at him. She thought he was lying. "I'm trying to repent. If I get the chance, dontcha think Six should too?"

Harley sat up and looked at the ground. She'd then sigh.

* * *

Troy sat against a rock and stared at the penned brahmin. It was now around close to midnight. Ever since Andy taught him a few things, Troy's been busy. He went back to Ranger Station Charlie only to be met with a bunch of mutilated corpses. Some investigation led to the Legion. The thought of it made Troy scowl. It was hard to tell the already broken Ranger of the news. Thankfully Troy was able to comfort the old man.

After helping the Ranger out, Troy managed to find some traveling merchants to trade with. It was even more fortunate that they had a doctor with them. Thanks to her, Troy managed to grab some mentats, and a couple of jet... The female doctor had informed Troy that the mentats will help him with his memories. They were supposedly suppose to ease the headaches as well. Troy's been getting used to them though. However, it'd be best for him to completely get rid of them.

The merchants were also selling some outfits. Troy managed to ditch his ruined leather armor for a dark brown long sleeved buttoned up shirt under a kevlar vest and a military green duster. The merchants were also able to give him a pair of dark gray jeans as well. Unfortunately it was pretty costly in Troy's standards.

The courier would chew on a couple tablets of mentats as he adjusted his rifle's scope. He offered to locate the assailant of these brahmin. The livestock belongs to Dusty McBride. According to the farmer, every midnight a brahmin is killed.

So far, nothing is seen approaching the penned brahmins. It until the sound of a stealthboy deactivating that made Troy jump. He'd look through his scope to see a familiar large blue humanoid. A Nightkin. The difference with this one, it had a minigun.

"Oh shit" Troy muttered. The Nightkin roared as it placed its finger on the trigger. Before it had a chance to fire at the livestock, Troy pulled the trigger. The bullet fired and went through the mutant's left shoulder. It'd let out a painful roar before dropping its weapon and running. Troy stood up and pulled the bolt back. He'd aim through the scope and see the mutant sprint away. He carefully placed the crosshair in front of the Nightkin. After the trigger was pulled, Troy witnessed the Nightkin run into his bullet. He'd lower the hunting rifle to approach and investigate.

"Well I don't know how you done it, but I do know how I can thank you" Dusty walked over to his fridge in the kitchen. The farmer picked up a pouch and placed it in Troy's hands. "Please take this, compliments of Alice and myself. And help yourself to anything in that freezer over yonder. We got more steaks in there than we'd be able to eat in a year."

Troy nodded. He didn't feel like refusing reward. All the stress that built up had him just accept it without arguing. "Hey Dusty, I found this holotape on the killer" Troy started as he pulled the tape out. "Can I borrow your radio? I'm kind of curious on what it says."

"Really now?" Dusty asked. The farmer happened to be curious as well along with his wife. They walked into their living room to the radio.

Troy would insert the holotape into the radio and began to play it. All that was heard were a bunch of gibberish by the mutant. Just the big monster talking to itself as it mowed down its victim. The cow was heard letting out painful and fearful cries as bullets fired. The Nightkin would roar from time to time.

Dusty had a confused look. Alice had her hands covering her mouth and had a horrified look. Troy remained with a blank expression.

Troy stopped the tape from playing midway. "I guess there wasn't any useful information after all."

* * *

After swinging the door open, Harley covered her eyes from the bright sunlight. Griffon followed behind her and did the same. The two noticed their courier companion sitting against the Dinky statue. Troy's backpack was off and leaning against the statue as well.

As the two approached the courier, a horrified look formed on Harley's face. Used jet pipes were scattered in front of the sleeping courier's backpack. The blonde couldn't contain her anger any longer. "Hey!" she'd scream as she slapped Troy across the face. If it weren't for Griffon holding her back, Troy would have more than just a red mark on his cheek.

Troy looked up at his companions with a confused look. "Good morning?" he'd confusedly greet them.

"What the fuck is up with the chems!?" Harley angrily screamed.

Troy looked at the jet he used before slowly standing up. "I got stressed" he'd simply answer. The courier then grabbed his backpack and would put it on.

"Oh really?" Harley sarcastically asked. Griffon could tell that she eased up so he'd let go.

The courier sighed. He'd pull out a couple small small pouches and toss it at both his companions. The two looked at him with puzzled looks on their faces. Based on the weight of the pouch, the amount of caps inside were pricey.

"Where'd you get this?" Harley and Griffon asked in unison.

"I sold a minigun" Troy answered.

Harley and Griffon widened their eyes as they looked at each other, then back at Troy. "WHERE'D YOU GET A MINI-"

"Irrelevant" Troy interrupted. "I'm going now. I'll see you guys later." Troy would turn and began to walk away, but Griffon would put his hands on one of the couriers shoulders, and Harley ran in front of him to keep him from continuing.

"What's this about?" Harley asked. She wasn't as angry as before, but the tone of her voice was still of displeasure.

"I think it's time to part ways" Troy said with a blank expression.

"What?" Harley asked. She had raised her voice a little bit.

Troy sighed. He expected that he'd have to explain things. "I think it's safe to say after what I did, I'm too unstable to be around. I don't want to worry you guys so much."

Without hesitation, Harley grabbed the collar of his shirt and threateningly pulled him towards her. Griffon's grip was loosened due to this. "Are you fucking kidding me Troy!? Just because of that, you're gonna run away from us!?" The blonde was furious. Troy didn't respond.

"Six, we ain't gonna leave ya" Griffon stepped in.

Troy sighed again. "Fine with me." Harley loosened her grip. "Just know that if you guys continue to interrupt my goal, don't expect us to be friends" the coureir threatened.


	9. A City of Ruins

The courier would start chewing on a couple more tablets of mentats. The taste itself were disgusting, but to Troy it was worth getting his memories back. Behind him, Harley and Griffon followed. Harley normally would have taken the drugs out of his hands and tossed them, but Troy had informed her that the chems were for medical uses. The jet on the other hand was just for pleasure.

Griffon and Harley obviously cared for the confused courier. If they didn't, they would have easily accepted Troy's offer back at Novac. They didn't though. It confused Troy, but he didn't care. There is only one thing in his mind right now, and that's to get to Benny. This goal scares his companions. After all, Troy threatened to kill them if they interfered. Just goes to show that they do care for his safety.

"Maybe we should take a break" Harley timidly suggested.

Troy stopped, turned his head and met his two companions with a glare. Harley jumped at the sight. Griffon stepped in.

"Mate, you didn't sleep on a bed last night. Two hours, kay?" he'd offer.

Troy wanted to argue, but he was willing to admit that they were right. He hated the decision he was willing to make. "Fine" he'd finally respond.

Harley smiled brightly. She was glad that Troy was willing to finally ease up. She then pointed at a billboard sponsoring Sunset Sarsaparilla. "Over there. It'll provide nice shading from the sun."

"Good eye" Griffon complimented. Troy would remain silent. If he were in a better mood, he might've also complimented the girl.

The three would approach the large billboard which happens to have a wastelander already in front of it. The stranger had definitely spotted the three miles away, yet he didn't show a single sign of hostility. He'd sit on a log with an acoustic guitar which leans against it. In front of him was a campfire that had died recently due to the visible smoke hovering over it and the ashes residing in it. The stranger looked up and smiled upon being approached by Griffon.

"Howdy there, partner" the stranger greeted. It was hard to tell his ethnicity due to his large bushy mustache and dark cowboy hat which hid features on his face. The only reference available was his tan face that most wastelanders happen to have now a days. He'd wear a brown and dirty duster with dusty tan pants tucked into his black leather boots.

"Waddup mate" Griffon greeted back as he sat on a burnt log across from the stranger. "What's your story?"

The stranger leaned back and threw his head up causing him to look at the sky blue sky. "My story's a long one, friend" he'd start. "And I can't say that it's all that interesting" he'd warn.

"We're pretty interested" Harley chimed in. She'd sit on a log next to Griffon. Meanwhile, Troy decided to isolate himself and sit against the billboard. Under normal circumstances, his companions would have tried to invite him into the group conversation. Not this time though. Troy is just isn't the same anymore.

The loner in the duster sighed as he got ready to tel his tale. "Well, I was born in a little town out Montana way. Me and Ma didn't have much, ever since my pa up and left."

The mention of a father shook Troy up a bit. He'd look at the group. The feeling inside of him was unusual. His head started to throb.

"Your father abandoned you?" Harley asked. She then covered her mouth when realizing that the question was probably inappropriate.

The drifter sighed again. "That he did." He'd take notice of Harley's sympathetic look. "Don't worry. It ain't a big deal" he'd assure her. It eased the girl up a bit, although not too much. She couldn't help but still feel terrible for bringing it up. "Never did know why he left. Ma said he was a real mysterious feller, even when he was with her. Like he was a stranger sometimes."

"You miss your pop?" Griffon ask. "Could be why you out here wandering."

"Maybe. Maybe I just never felt like I belonged back home" the drifter assumed.

"It must have been hard growing up without a father" Harley commented.

Troy grasped onto his head with one of his hands. He'd soon collapse and curl up which had caught the attention of the other three. The courier breathed heavily as he started to notice his vision blur. The voices of his concerned friends quickly approaching him were replaced with ringing. Everything was then black.

* * *

 _"Where am I?"_

 _Everything still remained black. Nothing couldn't even be heard as well. Suddenly, something slowly appeared. There was a little boy in the corner. The childish face looked a bit familiar. It looked like the face of an unscarred courier. The boy was crying as he looked towards something with fear in his eyes. The child's nose was bloody. Red dripped down his chin onto some ragged clothing._

 _"Is that... me?"_

 _More things around the child soon showed up. There was a man. He was a little on the chubby side with a dark grizzly beard and long hair. The man screamed at the defenseless child. He'd then suddenly threw a beer bottle which instantly shatter upon contact with the wall. The fragments of the glass surrounded the cowering child._

 _Everything was black again._

* * *

Troy's eyes opened and was instantly met with a dark night sky. He sat up and looked around him to see that there were three familiar sleeping figures around a dimly lit campfire. The courier felt his head who wasn't throbbing much anymore. He'd think back to the visions he remembered.

"What the fuck just happened?" he cursed.

Troy stood up to look around for his belongings. His bag remained against the log next to the drifter's guitar. The courier walked up to it and dug around for something that might lighten up his mood.

"Where the fuck are the chems?" he'd curse again. Troy soon found a pipe he used to smoke some jet, but frowned when he realized it was empty. Overwhelmed with rage and frustration, he threw it into the dark wasteland. He soon sighed and went back to rummaging through his pack only to find the next best thing. Cigarettes. They don't calm the courier down as well, but they're a lot safer than jet. All Troy did was sigh as he took the pack and a lighter before heading behind the billboard to smoke. There was no need to interrupt the others as they slept.

* * *

Harley's eyes met with the blue sky when she opened them. She sat up and stretched her arms while yawning at the same time. She looked around to see Griffon still asleep on the floor. The drifter however, he was still wide awake and sitting on the same log he sat on yesterday. Troy was nowhere to be found.

"Morning" the drifter greeted.

"Good morning" Harley responded. "So where's Troy?" she'd ask as she stood up.

The drifter shrugged before grabbing his guitar and setting it on his lap. "The courier came up to me, looking like nothing happened to him at all. The boy said he wanted to go on a walk" the drifter informed.

Harley frantically got up and scrambled for her things. The first thing that came to mind was that the unstable courier had left his group, but that wasn't the case at all. When the frightened woman made her way to their belongings, Troy's supplies remained there as well. The only thing that was missing was Lucky, the .357 magnum.

Harley let out a sigh of relief. Troy's not gonna leave with just a magnum. The only reason he'd only take a weapon is for protection after all. She wondered how the courier was managing. Two times, he had passed out since they met. This time however, wasn't as bad. Troy simply collapsed and closed his eyes a few seconds afterwards. To her, it looked like the guy was tired. She knew better though. Doc told her about his brain damage. That had to be the reason for it. It was then that she found away to help her friend. Hopefully the three of them could head to Freeside. Not only did she want to revisit some friends, but she knows people there that can help Troy. Whether they're willing to, Harley doesn't know. For now, all she can think of is how that those specific people is what Troy needs right now.

* * *

"Thanks for your hospitality" Harley thanked the drifter.

"Well," Griffon started. He'd shut up knowing what he wanted to say would piss Harley off. Although what he was going to say was right, Harley was definitely not gonna allow it. She considers what they were given hospitality. Griffon just saw it as a small conversation with the loner. Either way, they both enjoyed it. Troy was the only one who didn't.

"Anytime lads" the drifter responded. "Maybe we'll cross paths again huh?" he'd assume.

The drifter would take off his cowboy hat and wave at the three with it. Harley and Griffon waved back as the two walked backwards. Troy led the group and kept his vision forward. He didn't have anything against the drifter. It's just that he wanted to hurry up and get to Boulder City. The courier has said it many times both to himself and to his companions. They are way behind. If that continues, Troy might never find this Benny.

"How are we on supplies?" Griffon asked. He knew that Troy wasn't going to reply, so he glanced at Harley. That gave her the queue to answer.

"I saw we restock after visiting Boulder City" she suggested. Troy didn't say anything. He didn't really care as long as there weren't going to be any stops from where they are all the way to the city they'll soon visit.

The three continued down the road. A couple caravans passed by, but Troy wouldn't let his comrades start a discussion of any kind. Griffon and Harley weren't too miserable, but they were definitely disappointed with Troy's mood. They wonder if Benny will even be worth it in the end. It's not like the two would know. The three all went through different things, but Troy's story is a bit more unique.

The road led to a desolate city. Troy was the only one who looked surprised. Actually, he looked worried. Did he lose his lead already? Soon, he and his friends saw NCR troopers patrolling. Some acted like nothing happened. Then there were the ones that looked worried. Troy would explore the area for a bit in order to grasp the situation.

"You here to pay your respects too?" the sudden voice of a young male asked. Troy looked over and saw a NCR trooper standing in front of an engraved stone tablet the size of a deathclaw.

"Memorial?" Griffon asked. Harley gave him a puzzled look. She was surprised that Griffon didn't know anything about this. Then again, she remembered Griffon mentioning that he wasn't from the Mojave.

The NCR trooper didn't seem upset by the fact that Griffon didn't know about this memorial. Little did the soldier know that Troy also doesn't know about it. That would be due to his memories though. Unless of course, he never learned about it when he had them in the first place.

"You know, the one commemorating the Battle of Hoover Dam" the soldier started. "Rangers lured the best of Caesar's Legion into Boulder City, then blew the whole town up" he'd explain.

The realization of the city's current look had hit Troy in the face. "So that explains the destruction" Troy mumbled under his breath. Just like he intended, nobody heard.

The NCR trooper continued to inform Griffon and those in his party. "The NCR still lost a bunch of troops in the fighting, though. My older brother sacrificed himself so they could evacuate some of the wounded."

"Sorry to hear that mate" Griffon said. He had a sympathetic look having been in a situation where brothers are lost.

"Don't worry about it" the trooper replied. He'd turn around and went back to staring at the tablet. It was time for the three wastelanders to leave the soldier alone.

The party wandered around the city for a while until the found themselves at a barricaded area. There stood a NCR soldier with a green beret an dirty blonde beard in between them and the barricades. It's a shame. Troy hasn't found any leads in the rest of the town. The area behind the barricades might be where his answer lies.

"We've got a situation with some Great Khans right now" the soldier informed the three. Troy's eyes widened. Harley's and Griffon's did as well, but not as much as Troy. The courier is the one desperate for the answers, so his reaction was the different one. "The brass at McCarran has ordered me to lock down the ruins until it's been resolved."

Troy wasn't very happy with the information. He's will to either help the followers of the two-headed bear, or kill them to get to the Khans. "What's the situation" the courier asked. The tone wasn't very polite, but the soldier didn't hesitate from informing the three.

"One of my patrols was on its way back from Novac when it came under fire from the Great Khans. They radioed for reinforcements, but instead of waiting for us, they chased the Khans into the ruins where they were caught in a crossfire." The soldier took a moment to catch his breath. "No deaths, but not all of the squad got out. The Khans have Private Ackerman and Private Gilbert as hostages."

Troy groaned. The hostages are gonna make this a lot harder. "That gang has something of mine" Troy told the soldier. Thankfully, the courier got a cooperative response.

"Once the Great Khans have been killed or captured, you're welcome to retrieve any property they've taken from you."

"We can try negotiate with them" Harley suggested out of nowhere. "I'm good with those situations" she'd add on. Troy didn't object as he glanced back at her. Griffon looked at him and shrugged. It seems like the big guy didn't mind the option.

"Normally, I'd turn you down since I have no idea who you are," the soldier started. "But considering that the hostages are as good as dead when we attack..." He wouldn't finish the statement. There wasn't a need to since everybody gets the idea. "All right, I'm going to give you a chance to talk to the Great Khans. Their leader is a man named Jessup. If we hear shooting, we'll be coming in, but it'll probably be late for you" he warned.

Troy simply nodded before he walked through the barrier door which the soldier had opened.

"Good luck" the soldier said after Griffon, who was at the back of the line, entered.

"Jessup, Jessup, Jessup" Troy kept repeating. He couldn't remember who that person was despite remembering the name. Eventually, Troy gave up on remembering and started walking. He and the other two started off by walking passed more NCR troopers hiding behind whatever cover they could find. They soon led themselves to Great Khan soldiers. They were hiding as well. Troy had caught a glance of the hostages. Soldiers guarded them pretty well, so a surprise attack wouldn't work. Finally, the three found themselves in front of a building that wasn't destroyed. This structure was damaged, but it was able to be entered. A guard glared at the three. Troy only glared back, but Harley quickly stopped the tension by pulling him towards the door.

The sound of the door had shut behind the small party. There was silence in the room, until the Khan member with a mohawk and bandanna started taking. "What the hell? You're that courier Benny wasted back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead."

Silence filled the room again. Now that Troy knew that this man was there when he was robbed, he viciously glared at the Khan member. Sweat trickled down Jessup's cheek. It was an awkward reunion, but he and the other Khan member next to him didn't show fear.

"You have something of mine" the silence was interrupted once again. This time, by Troy.

Jessup gulped. "Yeah... about that..." Troy raised an eyebrow. His two companions looked ready to jump the courier in case he tries something. "Benny stole that chip of yours. Right before he stabbed us in the back. He's probably back at the Strip by now, laughing at me" Jessup angrily explained.

Troy rolled his eyes. Another dead end. He turned away ready to walk right now, but Harley wasn't finished.

"Let's talk about settling things between you and the NCR" she started. Troy rolled his eyes knowing that there was no stopping her despite his warnings.

"What's to negotiate? The NCR backs off, we walk out of here, nobody gets hurt" Jessup said.

"So what are the chances you'll surrender?" Harley asked.

Jessup groaned. There was no stopping this girl. "We'd try to bribe our way out, but seeing as Benny didn't pay us yet, that won't happen."

Harley looked at Griffon who looked back. They both nodded their heads at each other in unison. Troy only watched in confusion. He didn't care if they payed for the Khan's freedom, but he ain't gonna lend a single cap. This whole situation is useless to him now that he has what he really wanted in the first place. Benny's at the Strip. Now that he knows, Troy walked out of the building without warning his companions.

* * *

 _ **Wow I'm late... sorry about that. I will warn that things will get busy from now on, but I'll try my best with weekly updates on the story.**_


	10. Some Inactivity

The courier stared ahead at his two companions with his arms crossed. He'd start tapping his foot while their negotiation with the NCR Major continued. The whole thing to him was pointless, but Harley and Griffon were strongly against leaving the captured soldiers to their demise. By now, Troy came to the conclusion that most people can't be saved. The ruthless way of thinking hopefully won't end up being his downfall. This revenge of his is what's fueling him to continue on with his package. What next though? It's not like he thought of what's next. The only thing in the ruthless courier's mind was to kill Benny and finish delivering whatever the hell he was delivering.

"Glad we can agree" Troy would hear Harley say. His two companions soon turned around to join him.

"Are you two finally done?" Troy asked with an irritated tone. Based on Harley's previous words alone, he already knew the answer. If anything, he just needed the two to hear his tone to know that he's ready to go immediately.

"Why of course Boss" Harley joked.

The muscular rifleman next to her chuckled. "Well what're you waiting for? Lead the way mate" he said.

Troy rolled his eyes before turning and walking down the road with his party members following behind. The new destination was New Vegas. Although some fogs of his past memories faded away, Troy couldn't recall any of the wealthy looking place. It was going to be a long trip. Especially since Troy was so quiet. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the wasteland and his two companions chatting away like they didn't even know he was there.

Harley would mention of her times in Freeside which happened to interest Griffon. The rifleman would start to ask more questions of the territory. As the girl explained more about her former home, Troy tried to listen in as he walked. Unfortunately, getting into New Vegas was going to be tougher than he thought. Wealth was required to enter the Strip. What's worse is that Harley and Griffon spent a lot of caps just to bribe the soldiers back at Boulder City. Even the combined amount of caps of the three couldn't get even one of them into their destination.

A sudden sigh came out of Troy's mouth. It had caught the attention of both Griffon and Harley. They however just ignored it and kept on talking. By now, Troy couldn't hear them. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his vision started to get blurry. Before he knew it, his face hit the ground. Everything went black, again.

* * *

"Well gee, he's a bit tougher than I thought" a familiar robotic voice said. Everything still looked black. The only explanation was that Troy still had his eyes closed. The courier wanted to open them, but he didn't have the strength to.

"Don'tcha think? The sunovabitch surprises me" a familiar accent would respond to the robotic voice.

"Glad to see he's more social" the robotic voice replied.

"If ya saw the guy a couple days ago, you wouldn't think that."

Troy's eyes shot open and he frantically sat up. Sweat streamed down his face while more formed. The courier felt completely soaked. He looked at his surroundings. Apparently, he was in some tent in a sleeping back. He looked at his apparel to see that it hasn't changed. Troy then looked over to see all his gear neatly layed out. His immediate response was to get up and rearm himself.

Midway through his action, the opening of the tent flaps startled him. Griffon's head would peak into the thin structure.

"Oi Six! Glad you're awake" were the first words that came out of the rifleman's mouth. "Listen mate. We got a friend of yours here, so get outta the bloody tent already." He immediately closed the tent without giving Troy a chance to respond.

Soon after getting ready, Troy exited the tent. The first thing he saw was that the sun was starting to set. The next was a familiar blue shade of a robot he had met back at Goodsprings. The rusted machine turned towards the courier. The television attached to the front flickered a few times before the black and white color of a man with a white cowboy hat, grey bandanna, and cigarette appeared.

"Well howdy! Been a while since I've last saw you" the robotic voice greeted.

At first, Troy was struck with surprise. He soon stared at the rusted machine in awe. Soon, he couldn't help but smile. Something he hasn't done in a while. Upon seeing the gesture on the courier's face, Griffon ended up smiling as well. It's glad to see his friend in a good mood for once.

The silence itself was starting to make the metal man nervous. The two humans weren't really unable to tell until the large robot started speaking. "Hello?" the robot would soon wave its metallic hands in front of the courier he was familiar with. "You there partner?"

The gesture had made Troy chuckle. "It's good to see you again, Victor" Troy would finally say to the bot.

The sudden greeting caused the machine to straighten his back. "Yup, but this is getting a might embarrassing" Victor stopped for a quick second to look at his surroundings. He then leaned forward towards Troy. Griffon stared with a puzzled look on his face. "People are going to start to talk" the robotic cowboy joked. Soon, he and Troy started laughing. Griffon awkwardly laughed alongside them.

In all honesty, he didn't really know anything about Victor. He couldn't remember if Troy mentioned the Securitron at all. Victor claims that he saved Troy back at Goodsprings. Since the courier isn't pushing the robot away, it was pretty believable. Griffon didn't care much who the Securitron was though. It was just good to see Troy in a good mood again.

"So anyways," Troy started. "Where are we?" he'd ask looking at Griffon.

"Oh, bout that" the rifleman started. "Ya see, when you passed out, Harley told me about this here outpost." He'd point at the ground signifying that they were where the so called outpost. "188 Trading Post" Griffon would say the name of where they are.

Troy slowly nodded. "So where's Harley?" he'd ask.

"Bartering" answered Griffon. Troy nodded his head again. Meanwhile, Victor awkwardly stared at the two in silence.

Thankfully, he wouldn't need to be silent for long. Troy looked over at the robotic cowboy. "How did you get here by the way?" he curiously asked. It was pretty weird in his eyes hat he saw Victor again. Especially since he met the bot recently.

"Just rolling along on my spurs. Looks like I just might make it to New Vegas after all" Victor quickly answered.

"Fancy-pants" Troy started. It was the nickname he remembered Victor calling Benny. "Saw him come by here by any chance?" Griffon would frown at the answer. It seems that Troy still had his main priority in sight.

"Fancy-pants?" Victor repeated the name. "No, I ain't seen hide-nor-hair of him since the tussle in Goodpsrings. I'm sure he ran back to the soft-living of New Vega though."

Troy started cursing. He didn't care whether his two friends heard. He looked back at his robotic friend. "Thanks anyways."

"No problem. I should head going now" Victor said.

The courier nodded. "It was nice seeing you again Victor."

Even though there were no physical signs of the robot cheering up, the tone of his voice made it obvious that he was happy. "Look me up when you get to New Vegas, I'll buy the first round!"

The two old friends waved each other goodbye before watching the one-wheeled rusted metal-cowboy rolling towards the large tower of the shining city of Vegas. Troy crossed his arms and watched for a bit. He didn't notice Griffon walking up to stand besides him.

"Hey mate. We gonna get him aight?" Griffon would assure his friend. Troy easily knew that his companion was referring to Benny.

Troy grinned and nodded. "Hey man, sorry if I've been a little" he stopped to look for the word. "I guess a bit of a dick towards you and Harley" Troy apologized.

"Ay, no worries. Guess hitting your head against the ground helped chill you out?" Griffon joked.

Troy snickered and shook his head before walking away.

Griffon threw his arms up in the air with an amused face. "That it?" It looks like the guy was hoping for more of a reaction. Griffon would soon jog up to his friend and walk besides him.

The outpost wasn't big to begin with. Then again, an outpost isn't necessarily suppose to be huge. This one however only had a few tents and ruined vehicles used as storage. There was a makeshift bar, but Troy just woke up so he wasn't too into drinking. Harley was yet to be seen. Eventually, Griffon came to the idea that that was who Troy was looking for. The rifleman nudged his friend on the shoulder and motioned him to follow. Griffon led Troy to the last place Harley was seen heading. That place being under the bridge. When they got there, they both found out that the woman was still there. She however was arguing with some guy who had a couple bodyguards behind him. Behind the body guards were a bunch of unopened crates and a resting brahmin. Troy approached making it clear to hear what Harley was screaming about.

"You guys are fucking lame!" she'd insult the man.

The man laughed. "Whatever you say Blondie" he'd say before glaring at both Troy and Griffon. The two wastelanders returned the gesture with glares of their own. The man and his bodyguards all dressed in the same apparel. A denim sleeveless duster with a dirtied white t-shirt underneath. The man looked to be the leader of the guards behind him. Maybe because of the way he was positioned. The only difference between him and the two behind him was his dark brown short hair which was combed flat onto his forehead.

"You alright Harley?" Troy asked while glaring at the man.

Harley was ready to say she's fine, but the man interrupted.

"Who is this suppose to be? Your boyfriend came to rescue you?" his two bodyguards happened to laugh. Troy and his party only glared. The three all had the same attire.

Troy snickered at the guy. He talked tough, but Troy wasn't afraid. Especially after what he's recently been through. "Some attitude" he'd comment.

The already hostile man scowled. "You like it any better if I tell you to fuck off?"

Troy shrugged before looking at Harley. "So what's wrong?"

His female companion crossed her arm and spat in front of the man. "Apparently they're too good to sell to us."

The man would laugh. Alone this time. "You three are small time. Why don't you run along now and stop wasting our time?"

Troy looked back at the man and raised an eyebrow. He eyed the crates, then at the guards. The weapons the two of them carried looked to be impressive. One had a hunting rifle, the other an assault carbine. Now even though those are guns Troy's group already has, it's quite easy to tell that this man's guards have ones in better condition. The courier sighed before looking at the man. "You know, I figured you guys have some nice picks of killing gear."

The man and his guards were caught by surprise with his comment. He looked behind towards his guards who only looked back. The two armed men shrugged before their leader looked back at Troy. "You might be on to something."

Harley and Griffon both stared at Troy with widened eyes. For one, Troy was calm and collected. The second thing was that he actually fixed the problem without violence. Troy didn't notice the looks on their faces. Instead, he just bartered with the men. They called themselves the Gun Runners. The leader Harley argued with was named Alexander. Now as previously seen, he was a huge asshole. Out in the wasteland, Troy wouldn't mind popping a bullet into this man's skull. It was just unfortunate that people with the NCR badge on their apparel were nearby.

Gear sold by the Gun Runners were very expensive. However, it was all worth it. Condition of the weapons and ammunition were the best Troy has seen. Griffon and Harley had already spent caps bribing the NCR officer back at Boulder City. Their money was scarce, so they did what they could. Griffon only bought ammunition. Harley however sold all her firearms and would buy a brand new pistol. A 5.56mm one to be exact. Troy would eye the gun. It looked familiar. It then would hit him. Cliff Briscoe back at Novac had a similar looking pistol for sale. It didn't look exactly the same, so it must have been a different variant.

Once Harley and Griffon were finished, Troy stepped up to see what he was able to offer and receive. Lucky, he'd keep. His scoped rifle however had to go. Lately, Troy has been seeing himself as more of a gunslinger type fighter. When asking Alexander for any recommendations, the Gun Runner would suggest a cowboy repeater. There were a few for sale, the prices varying due to the weapon's condition. Troy didn't want to spend too much since a lot of caps are needed to get into the Strip. Due to that, the Courier decided to make a cheap choice and purchase the rifle in poor condition. The decision surprised his companions who tried to convince him to buy something better. Troy however didn't listen.

"Guess that's it" Troy said to Alexander. The Gun Runner only nodded feeling guilty that he was difficult before. Troy and his party turned and walked farther away just to chat for a bit. "I'm surprised I had to convince him" the Courier said to his female companion.

Harley growled. Upon examination, Troy noticed bags under the girl's eyes. She'd force her back to be erect to look more awake. Standing this close however is only gonna reveal how fatigued she is. That's probably gonna temporarily cause a decline on her charisma. Her little argument with Alexander already proved it.

"You should probably rest soon" Troy suggested. He held back from telling her to rest now because he didn't want to sound like a hypocrite.

"Really? You out of all people are telling me that?" she'd ask with a grin on her face. "Get a loud of this guy" she'd try to elbow Griffon, but she couldn't feel the bulky rifleman with the edge of her elbow. When she turned, she noticed him missing. "Where the hell did the big guy go?" she'd ask while looking around. She then saw him behind Troy talking to some kid sitting on a sleeping bag surrounded by a bunch of junk.

"That's interesting. I don't mind buying" Troy and Harley heard Griffon say to the kid as they approached.

"Well if that's the case, what would you like for me to think about Mister?" the kid asked Griffon.

The rifleman turned to see his friends had approached. He then pointed at Troy. "Think about my friend Six ovah here." He'd tell the kid. Before letting the kid respond, he gave him some caps. Troy didn't seem to like that donation.

Meanwhile, as Troy glared at the rifleman, the kid took off his odd looking helmet. He'd take a deep breath and close his eyes. "You're friend is in a bunch of distress. A lot of mixed emotions. Most are fake ones to hide behind. Luck has ran out. Actually, more like used up. Fragments in his head. Two kinds of fragments actually." The kid opened his eyes to take in another deep breath. He'd then scratch his head. "Man. Your friend is a bit... depressing."

"I'm wha-" Troy's outburst was cut off by Harley.

"Shut up. This sounds interesting" she'd tease.

The kid continued. "He was once just a shadow under a man. The shadow however, took control. He searches for something. Actually, someone." The kid pressed his palm on his forehead. "Ow... my head hurts. Everything's fuzzy." Griffon was ready to say that what he got was enough entertainment, but the kid wasn't done yet. "Changes occur. Some may stay, but most will go back to normal."

Griffon looked at Troy and Harley. "Y'all gotta admit. This here is pretty accurate."

Troy shook his head and rolled his eyes before walking away.

* * *

The small group were walking again. Troy was in front leading just like last time. This time, he wasn't going to pass out anytime soon. Hopefully...

"Think he mad now?" Griffon leaned over and whispered to Harley.

"Wha-what?" she jumped and looked at the man next to him. It appears she's half awake.

"Maybe I shouldn't have paid for that thinker" Griffon said.

Harley shrugged. "It was entertaining. It's funny how right that kid was" she replied. "So where are we headed next?" she'd ask with a yawn following.

Griffon stopped walking, but Harley continued. She soon bumped into the back of Troy. "What the fuck!?" she screamed. She leaned and looked passed Troy only to widen her eyes in horror.

In front of the hardened mailman stood Legionaries. A Decanus stood in front while two gunmen and two melee fighters were behind him. Troy didn't do anything but kept a blank stare at the men. Griffon already had his carbine out. Harley, while hiding behind Troy, slowly gripped the handle of her 5.56mm.

"Troy Volk" the Decanus started. Troy didn't respond. "The Caesar has marked you for death" he'd calmly threaten. "Prepare yourself!" he'd suddenly raise his voice into a demanding one.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Yea, I think I'll stop making false promises. Updates are gonna be random for a damn while. That's all I can really say. Life you know? It keeps things like this from continuing.**_


	11. Home of the Wrangler

Shots were fired. Griffon being the first one to pull the trigger. One of the Legion gunman's chest was filled with lead. As the first corpse dropped, Troy was immediately seen running towards the small band of assassins. The melee fighters charged forward to confront the courier while the Decanus and remaining gunman got ready to fire back. Harley however was quick enough to intercept the attack. She'd have already fired shots into the Legion leader's head while Griffon fired the remaining bullets in his rifle's magazine at the other gunman. By now the melee fighters had greeted Troy. One slashed a machete at Troy. The attack was easily evaded when Troy ducked. The second Legionnaire had a power fist that was getting hurled at the courier's face. Troy quickly reacted by tackling the Legionnaire into the ground before the punch connected. While remaining on top of the melee fighter, Troy unholstered Lucky, pressed the barrel onto the Legionnaire's forehead, and pulled the trigger. The fight was not yet over, so Troy quickly got to his feet before the machete wielder had time to strike. There was another slash attempted, but Troy was able to evade it. He then grabbed onto the arm which held onto the machete, and quickly elbowed his opponent in the face which caused the Legionnaire to drop the blade. Troy then proceeded to throw the fighter onto the ground. The Legionnaire tried to get up, but Troy prevented that by firing a bullet into the Legion member's skull.

The courier turned to see his companions looting the dead bodies. Griffon looked over at his friend and smiled. "Not much of a tough bunch" he'd comment.

Troy shrugged before going over to help the others scavenge. "This is the second time they sent assassins after me."

Harley shivered when thinking back to the first time. It was a close call back then. Actually, now that she and Troy looked back, somebody did end up dying. "I'm sure Caesar is still underestimating us. These guys aren't carrying anything that's worth shit" she said.

Troy groaned. "Let's still sell them. If they're not worth much, we'll use them as to repair what we have. I'm sure most, if not all our gear aren't in the best condition."

The three all agreed to take the best quality items since those are the ones that sold for the most. The Legionnaires carried some odd looking golden coins. Harley explained it was their currency. She also suggested to take them and exchange them for caps. More things the wastelanders found consisted of food, healing powder, and different types of drinks. Some bottles had labels such as antivenom while the rest were obviously water.

When their scavenging was finished, the three continued onwards towards Freeside. Harley gave a bit of information about her former home. The entire town was shitty to begin with. Thugs were always causing trouble, but they're not too much of a problem thanks to a gang called The Kings. The group in Harley's eyes were a little weird. She continued on about how they need to first visit this place called the Atomic Wrangler. It's a casino, but they also provide more intimate services. Harley decided to keep quiet about that though. She seemed a bit on edged when mentioning those optional services.

The rest of the journey felt short due to a bunch of small talk. It went from Harley asking more about Victor, all the way to what Troy plans on doing when meeting Benny. Griffon got curious about the previously mentioned intimate services, but failed in getting information from Harley. Eventually, the conversation was halted when Griffon layed eyes on what looked like a shopping stand.

There was a man-made shack ahead of them. It had a large window with a protectron in front of it. What's even more interesting was all the guns inside.

"The hell is all this?" Griffon asked with a bit of excitement in his voice.

"Oh?" Harley took a good look at the stand, but had a nervous expression. "We won't be able to afford any of that. Gun Runner's arsenal, but it's all the good stuff."

Troy was pretty disappointed. He had a quick flashback back to Alexander at Outpost 188. The one word to describe the Gun Runner employee was 'asshole.'

"Follow me. The Freeside entrance is this way" Harley ordered. Troy was quick to listen, Griffon however stared at the Gun Runner's stand while drooling. Obviously the rifleman was disappointed to not be able to buy anything from the robot. Troy however, was eager when following behind his female companion.

The one thing noticeable about Freeside's wall was that it was completely made of junk. To be fair, a lot of things are made of junk now a days. The entrance however was much larger than it needed to be. It was as tall as a Super Mutant Behemoth. At the top of the gate were letters that spelled Freeside. However, it appears that only a couple glowed a bright red, while one flickered. Otherwise, the lights on the letters were completely shut off. It wasn't going to be as good of a town as Troy thought.

Once inside, the three were immediately greeted by armed wastelanders. Most likely mercs. Harley wasn't pleased on how they were approached though. Whatever the reason, Troy and Griffon were about to find out.

"You're in luck strang-" the mercenary looking man was immediately cut off by Harley.

"Beat it bum. You ain't worth the hiring" Harley harshly responded. It caught Troy and Griffon by surprise. Harley is normally polite, but clearly there is bad blood between her and these men.

"Oh wow, it's you" the 'bum' responded with distaste. "Bitch" he muttered before turning to Troy and Griffon. "Anyways, you two are in luck. I happen to be the most successful bodyguard in all of Freeside" the wastelander claims. Troy noticed Harley roll her eyes as she begins to walk off. The courier took a look at this wastelander. He was a caucasian man with a buzzcut and a black goatee. He happened to wear overalls with an ammo belt strapped onto him. The weaponry he carried wasn't all that impressive. A simple hunting rifle and 9mm pistol. Troy didn't realize that this 'bodyguard' was continuing to talk. Griffon was listening though. "I just happen to be available at the moment. One hundred caps guarantees you a peaceful trip through this fair district."

"Aight mate, why the hell would I need a bodyguard?" Griffon asked. Now Troy was paying attention.

"Sounds like you're new. Trust met, you won't make it ten feet without being approached by our 'friendly' residents." The emphasis on the word 'friendly' showed sarcasm.

Both Troy and Griffon gave the merc a look. They didn't even have to talk, the look itself gave a response as in "Really?"

"Okay, I get it. Y'all look like you can handle yourselves. I however happen to know the area. Even alleyways those thugs use to ambush folks. If you need me, just let me know" the bodyguard said. There were other bodyguards nearby that gave a chuckle at this one's failed attempt in hiring a client. There were a couple in the group that stood out. The two looked identical. Both of them had slicked and greased hair along with wearing a leather jacket. Either they were just two friends or siblings playing dress up, or they were apart of a group.

"Six, we gotta go" Griffon interrupted Troy's train of thought. The rifleman started sprinting off towards Harley's little figure ahead. She made distance since they entered Freeside.

Troy muttered a "Shit" before sprinting off behind Griffon. While running, he turned his head left and noticed more of those dudes with greased up hair. Some wore dirtied up white t-shirts, while others wore leather jackets. Troy was able to notice letters on the back of their jackets. It spelled out the word Kings. The same word was hung up on a building. The letters glimmered brightly for everyone to see. Clearly they were a group in Freeside. A known one too since they managed to get a building for themselves.

In the distance at an intersection, Troy noticed Harley talking to a blonde in a skimpy looking outfit. A stripper maybe? Why the hell is Harley talking to a stripper? Either way, Harley was out of sight now. She turned the corner, which caused a ruined building to cut off Troy's view of her. Griffon had almost caught up with Harley. However, he had stopped in front of the stripper and was resting his hands on his knees while heavily panting. Normally, Troy would make fun of him, but he was actually also tired. He was panting too, so he rested his hands on his hips before staring up at the blue sky.

The blonde hooker smirked upon setting her eyes on two new clients. "Hey babes, head down to the Atomic Wrangler if you want to have a good time" she said in an forced erotic voice. The girl was also dancing, erotically. Now the view was nice and all, but the forced voice was unnecessary. Then again, it didn't take much to impress Freeside residents. The girl was cute which was a bonus.

"Hey" Troy greeted while continuing to pant. "You know Harley?" he managed to ask.

The erotic dancer stopped dancing for a moment and widen her eyes in joy. "Oh! You two are the friends she was talking about?" she asked. The blondie then pointed towards the end of the street at a sign with the words Atomic Wrangler on it. It was the name she literally just mentioned when meeting them. "Harley is over there. It's nice to see my dance partner again" she says joyfully.

Troy and Griffon stopped panting for a moment. They both looked at each other with confused expressions? "Huh!?" they both said to each other in unison. Who knew Harley was a stripper. Or that's what it looks like. This honestly explains her good looks.

The situation would be silent if only the guy across the street would stop advertising his own group.

"You want someone dead? Really dead?" Troy and Griffon looked over in annoyance. There was a bald African wastelander in black painted combat armor with an energy rifle on his back. The guy also had a noticeable stubble. "Stop by the Silver Rush and we'll give you the means!" The armed wastelander's voice did not fit his looks at all. That's probably because the guy face had a blank look while his voice was actually expressive like an actual advertiser. "You want to get your hands on some of the deadliest weapons around? Head just down the street to the Silver Rush. You won't be disappointed" the advertiser went on. Troy and Griffon looked around. There was literally just them, the hooker, and the advertiser himself.

"Oi Six, let's just go find Harley already" Griffon begged.

Troy nodded with a concerned look. "Yeah, this place is fucking weird."


	12. An Embarrassing Request

The two were quick to speedwalk towards the Wrangler and enter. Boy were they happy to see the familiar face of a fellow survivor. However, the stern look wasn't so familiar. Harley has been acting different ever since the three of them entered Freeside. It's like she's a whole new person.

At the moment, she was talking to the male bartender wearing a white suit of whatever this building was for. From the back of the bar were shelves with liquor on them and a door where a woman, who wore a black suit, walked through. She and the male bartender had a resemblance. Were they siblings? They had to be.

"Look who it is!" the woman greeted Harley. "Back to entertain for us are you?" the woman asked.

Troy and Griffon turned their heads away from the scene towards the rest of the room. There was a huge stage, obviously to perform on. In front of the stage were tables and chairs just for the audience. There were also doorways and stairs leading elsewhere in the building. Those weren't to be explored. At least not yet.

"Listen, a couple friends and I need jobs. You two got any?" Harley's voice interrupted Troy and Griffon's view of the scenery. Now the two men were backed to focusing on her and the two similar looking bartender.

The bartenders looked at each other. "You start" the woman was quick to say.

The male glanced away and scratched the back of his head. He sighed before actually speaking. "If you say so Sis" he replied like he was embarrassed.

"Ohhhh!" Troy and Griffon together interrupted.

"They were sib-" Griffon started.

"Yeah" Troy interrupted.

"Explains the lo-" Griffon would have finished, but Troy was nodding in agreement. When the two looked back at the three, they both jumped when noticing that Harley and her two former employers were staring at them.

Harley held the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Unbelievable those two..."

"James, you start with your job" the female bartender says before walking towards the end of the counter to another register.

The male bartender looked over at Harley and sighed like he was going to regret this request. "We have had some" James paused and sighed again. "Unusual requests" he spits out. "They're from our wealthier customers" he claims. "If you can recruit escorts to match these customers'... proclivities... I'd be willing to pay you finder's fees."

Troy and Griffon looked at Harley. They didn't know what the word proclivities meant. Harley rolled her eyes and looked at James. "Can you explain to them?" she asked.

James smirked and nodded. Troy didn't like the look. He felt like the bartender was making fun of him. Griffon didn't happen to care though. The rifleman probably didn't notice the intention.

"Our wealthiest client has a thing for ghouls, and a thing for cowboys. He wants an escort who can satisfy both fetishes" James explains.

Troy and Griffon both covered their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing.

"Plenty of customers have said they'd be willing to pay extra for a suave talker, someone who can fake the 'boyfriend experience' real good" James continues. Now, the third request he struggled to spit out. He coughed to clear his throat before starting. "Lastly, there are these disgusting robot fetishists you may have heard about? Well, those creeps want a sexbot."

Now Troy and Griffon were both laughing. The suave talker wasn't all that bad, but a cowboy and a sexbot?

"Ignore them" Harley tells James. "Just keep talking."

"Right..." James says while glancing towards the two as they make a fool of themselves. "Have you even ran across a sexbot?" James asks Harley. "Not that I'd ever want one within 100 feet of me, but I gotta be a businessman about it."

Harley snickers. "Of course you do James. Either way, I'm assuming we get payed after each escort we secure?" she asks the co-owner of the Wrangler.

James nodded. "Just don't rough up the merchandise before delivery. You break it, you bought it" he says.

Harley sat up straight and stuck her nose in the air with a smirk. She was going to do some bartering now. "Surely these escorts are critical to your business. How about double the pay?" she requests.

James formed a grin. He's witnessed Harley's tricks before. "Alright, for old time sake you've got yourself a deal. Find escorts to fill the position and I'll pay double."

Harley nods at the bartender and looks at her companions who had actually stopped laughing. "I'm getting the suave talker" she decides.

Griffon actually caught on quickly. "C-cowboy ghoul!" he blurts out.

"Oh! Um..." Troy had a clear smack across the face of what job he has. "Fu-!"

* * *

"A fucking sexbot! They task me to find a sexbot!?" Troy pouts in rage. He kicks a can across the street. Harley and Griffon had left on their own to find their suave talker and cowboy ghoul. "Alright, where's Mick and Ralph again?" the courier asks himself. Troy had walked through a junk gate after asking himself that question. It wasn't even a gate. Just the door of a broken down vehicle.

"Come to Mick and Ralph's for all your shopping needs!" an advertiser hollered. The voice definitely came from a child. Troy looked over and noticed a kid spewing nonsense about this Mick and Ralph's.

"Hey Kid!" Troy calls the boy out. "Which way is Mick and Ralph's?" the courier asked.

After being given directions, Troy would make his way towards the shop. While doing so, the courier would mentally prepare himself for the request he was about to make. Poor guy is going to witness a distasteful look by the cashier. For now Troy would talk to himself to calm down, but now that the Mick and Ralph's sign was so clear, he got nervous again.

"Hey man, you lookin for a fix?" a sudden voice suddenly broke Troy's thought process. That distraction was actually a good thing on the courier's hand.

"Hm?" Troy responded not exactly sure what the settler meant. This dealer wasn't looking too good. Then again, most never look well. This one had a wrinkled face and a thin mustache. He had on cap with goggles on it and a sleeveless trench coat with a white t-shirt underneath.

"Have a look baby, I got what you need." The dealer crouched down and opened up a sack. Inside were Jets. A lot of them.

Troy blinked a few times before widening his eyes. This guy was right. He could use this right now.

"What's your name?" Troy asked.

"The name's Fixer mate" the dealer responded.

"You got a lot over here Fixer" Troy points out.

Fixer nodded. "Sure do. Made em myself. Cheaper then the usual" he adds on.

Troy grins at his new business partner. "Is that so?"

* * *

"Ha! Are you some kind of machine fetishist or something?" a caucasian man with a red checkered collared shirt asked. He also happened to have black hair running down to his neck.

"It's for the Garrets, Mick" came a response by the courier.

"It's Ralph" the cashier responded.

Troy looked confused. Clearly he switched the two brothers around. Mick was the one with shorter hair who sold useful gear. In other words, weapons. He also was the one trying not to laugh at Troy's sudden request that actually belonged to a pair of twins.

"It's for the Garrets" Troy said as a way to prevent more nasty opinions on him.

"Well, the only place I know of locally would be Cerulean Robotics, but that place has been overrun by vermin for years. If you want to check the place out, you can find it on the west side of Freeside. The entrance is on the back side of the building" Ralph informed. "Just watch out for thugs. The rats aren't the only vermin you need to worry about" the cashier added a warning.

"This seems too easy. Don't I need a holotape or something?" Troy asked.

Ralph sighed. "I don't know of any, but if you give me a few days and some caps, I think I could probably make one on my terminal" he offers.

This was a bit of a problem. Troy was suppose to make money, not spend it. Then again, to be on good terms with the Garrets will help in the future. Harley said that they could even help improve Troy's name on the streets.

"Fine" Troy gave in and handed over the caps.

Ralph smiled in amusement. It was just a humorous sight to see this deal go through. "Alright. Come back in a couple days and I should have it ready for you."

Troy nodded before exiting the building. The courier took out some jet. He already took a hit earlier, but he could use another one. Turns out Troy is addicted to brahmin shit. As the courier began to walk, something had caught his eye. Another Freeside settler actually. The dirty looking dude was waving Troy over like he needed help. When Troy showed interest by stepping towards the stranger, the man went deeper into the alleyway.

"This is sketchy" Troy muttered before cautiously following behind. At the same time the courier pulled out Lucky.

The stranger had stopped besides a couple dumpsters which brought out a foul smell. It shouldn't be odd since trash smells like trash. This trash however smelled dead.

"Check it out. Between the dumpsters there" the stranger said.

Troy turned his head and noticed a corpse. The sound of several blades unsheathing followed afterwards. The jet kept Troy calm though. Three gunshots soon filled up the alleyway before Troy walked away back onto the streets.

"Annoying ass thugs" he muttered again while making his way towards the Wrangler. For now, he's going to need to find something to do while Ralph works on the sexbot's holotape.

It was a miracle that Troy didn't encounter anymore thugs along the way. Perhaps they heard about him? Probably not. Once Troy entered Freeside's only casino, he couldn't help but be irritated at the sight of Griffon and Harley with cowboy ghoul and an older looking gentleman in a suit.

"Oh come on!" Troy couldn't help but blurt out. Everybody had faced him. Only Griffon and Harley laughed. The Garret's both had amused looks on their faces, so they knew a bit of what is going on.

Troy crossed his arms and looked at the four with a pouty look on his face. "You guys try looking for a sexbot before laughing" Troy tried to defend himself.

Griffon had managed to find a way to contain himself while Harley still childishly laughed away. "Oi, Six. I just gotta say I'm sorry" Griffon tried to sympathize.

Troy rolled his eyes before turning to leave the building.

"Ay, come on now bud" Griffon tried to call him back, but was only met with a slam by the front door. "He ain't having a good day" he says to Harley.

By now, the blonde was done with the humor. "Oh, he'll get over it. Either way, we still need more caps" she replies before looking at the twins. "Y'all know any other jobs out there?"

James looked up and rubbed his chin. "Well, the NCR have bounti-"

"Hang on James" his sister quickly interrupted. "I have some bounties now that I think of it. While your boy Troy struggles, help me out with this will ya Harley?"

* * *

"What's the big deal with the Silver Rush? Sounds like regular laser weapons to me" Troy tried aggravating the crier.

"Listen man, why don't you go talk to Gloria about that? I bet you wouldn't say that shit to her face" he concluded.

"Troy" a female called out to him. The courier turned his head to have his eyes meet with the hooker he and Griffon previously spoke to before. "You might not want to mess with them" she warned as she continued her alluring dance. Troy would be lying to claim that he was not distracted by the beautiful movement.

Troy did regain focus after a long and awkward silence. "Alright, fine" he gave in.

"That's what I thought" the crier commented. He was trying to sound intimidating, but Troy wasn't affected.

"I'll check your little shop out" the courier arranged before heading towards the building. He was sure that whatever the Van Graffs were selling, they were good quality. However, Troy's preferences do not include energy weapons. That's probably due to his cowboy like fighting style.

The moment Troy stepped to the door, he was stopped by the guard. "Hold up" he ordered. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to search you before letting you in. The only weapons allowed on the premises are the ones we're selling." The man like the crier was African, but the difference was this guy actually looked and sounded more intimidating.

Troy sighed. He really hated to give up his gear, but this was probably the only way he was going to be permitted an entrance. "Alright" the courier complied before handing the guard his weaponry.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your stuff safe" the guard promised. Troy really hoped the guy will keep those words.

Upon entering, Troy felt a more in danger compared to his last ambush in the alleyway. A total of four guards dressed in black painted combat armor and armed with energy rifles were in the way of both the passageways Troy needed to take to get to the shop's counter. In front of him was a fence where he could see the entire situation go down. It appears that this was a business meeting and seeing how guards are posted, something was going to go wrong. Still, this entire scene doesn't really tell Troy whether there was something of interest for him. He looked at one of the guards, wanting to know what the big deal is.

The man shook his head while keeping a stern look on his face. "The bosses are having a meeting. You'll have to wait until it's over."

Troy found this bizarre. Aren't these guys suppose to run a business? Why a meeting in the middle of store ours. "Well how long is this going to fucking take?" he outrageously asked.

His question was met with a few chuckles by a couple of the other guards. The that spoke to him formed a devilish grin. "Sooner than you think" he replied. Troy didn't like the sound of that. The way the man said that reminded the courier of the raiders he encounters.

All Troy could do now was either wait or leave. There wasn't much else to do though other than gamble. It sucks that Troy needs to wait until Ralph finishes up with the sextape. Troy still shivers at the thought of the final product.

"Ms. Van Graff, my associates and I have decided that we wish to renegotiate the terms of our deal." Troy looked at the other side of the fence that separated the platform he stood on and the main area of the Silver Rush. There was a much taller looking guard and a woman wearing a light blue attire that could be used for both formal events and combat, both of African decent. Alongside them were two businessmen. If it weren't for the building's dim lighting Troy would have an easier time noticing the details of their looks.

"Might I ask for what reason? The shipment was delivered. The guns were tested before leaving this facility" the woman responded to the well suited man. Now it was clear who the negotiators were. Almost. The other businessman was oddly standing farther away than the other three.

From the looks of it, the man the woman was talking too started to adjust the collar of his suit. Clearly he was nervous for whatever reason. "Regardless, we feel that the quality of the weapons is below expectation, and hoped to adjust the price accordingly. The entire building went silent for a very long moment. It was pretty scary, but Troy alongside the other guards were interested in how this conversation is going to continue.

The woman then started snickering before transforming it to regular laughter. "Ah, I think I understand what the issue is. Excuse me for a moment, would you?" She didn't even give the businessman she spoke to time to reply before turning towards the guard beside her. By now Troy could tell where this was going. The nod she made to the guard was a dead giveaway. "Do it" she ordered.

Her henchman didn't even hesitate. There was no way anybody could react in time to stop the man from firing a blast from the laser rifle towards the poor businessman's partner. It was pretty impressive that a single shot vaporized the guard's victim to the point that all that was left was a pile of dust. Troy is far from an energy weapons user, but he had to admit that the quality of that laser rifle was impressive. Now hopefully the rest of the rifles of the same model being sold is the same quality.

The main businessman was by now terrified. He looked at what had become of his partner with a fearful expression. "Never break faith with the Van Graffs, Mr. Soren" the Silver Rush leader said as the man continued to look at his now deceased partner. "I expect you'll have the rest of our payment tomorrow morning" she demanded as she walked back behind the store counter. All Mr. Soren could do was timidly nod in agreement before hurrying out of the building. The guards gave a bit of room for the terrified man to leave. Every one of them gave a threatening glare as Mr. Soren passed by. "Okay everyone, shows over. Back to work!" the woman in charge hollered. Everybody of course had gotten the message as everyone would spread out away from the door.

"Okay..." Troy mumbled. Just like a lot of experiences he had in the Mojave, this was very random. No matter though. The courier could still find use for this place. He'd walk down towards where the woman was selling her fine merchandise. As he walked up to her, he noticed the guard that shot the other business man. Apparently staring at the man had pissed him off.

"Get the fuck away from me" the guard aggressively lashed out. "The last man who bothered me 'volunteered' to help test our weapons."

The man's attitude already pissed Troy off. How big to threatened a man that was required to be disarmed before entering the place. Troy opened up his mouth to make a smartass remark, but realized that was a bad choice due to the huge disadvantage he has. Nobody else even tried to stop the guard's behavior. "I noticed" was all he managed to get out. He then walked towards the woman, ignoring the aggressive guard. That probably pissed him off, but that would only satisfy Troy.

"Welcome to the Silver Rush, where only top of the line energy weapons can be found. What can I do for you?" she greeted. It was much more polite compared to her asshole guard, but this was probably so they can keep Troy as a potential customer. Troy already didn't want to be here, so he turned to walk away.

"Not even going to say anything to the woman!?" the aggressive guard snapped again.

Troy sighed and glanced over. "I'm no longer interested in anything here" he simply responded. This made Troy receive a growl from the tall guard. Apparently he looked ginormous now that Troy stood right in front of him. The courier would already felt inferior due to possessing a much tinier frame.

"Hm" the woman crossed her arm. "I've got a position that opened up recently. We currently need another boy to guard the entrance outside."

"What? Really Gloria? This pussy?" the tall guard turned towards his boss in shock. Troy lightly groaned at how disrespectful this guy is. Thankfully the woman ignored the tall guard, not willing to let him push her around.

"Think you can handle that?" she asked Troy.

Troy was hesitant at first since he already hated this place. However, he, Griffon, and Harley could really use the caps to enter the Strip. Plus, he really wanted to prove this fucker wrong. Freeside was sure to have thugs that would break into this place right? Maybe Troy can show off. "Alright, count me in" he accepted the offer. Nobody seemed at all impressed unfortunately.

"Wonderful. I already have a man outside who can show you the ropes and get you set up. His name is Simon" Gloria started to explain. "He's been with the family for years, so listen to what he says, and follow his instructions" she informs.

Troy nodded before turning and walking towards the exit. He exited the building, and turned towards the guard who was supposedly Simon. He must have been dozing off since he didn't even notice Troy leave. A typical guard persona. "Hey" Troy alerted him.

Simon jumped before quickly turning towards Troy. "Welcome to the Silv- ah crap, don't tell me you're my new guard."

Troy felt genuinely offended by the insult. Why do these pricks hate him so much? Is it his looks? Maybe his scar? Troy took in a deep breath before letting it out. It's so unfortunate Lucky isn't in his holster. These guys would be dead. "Looks like you're stuck with me" Troy replied. _'You little shit'_ he thought.

Simon shrugged as if it were no big deal despite just now insulting the courier. "I've been paired with worse, I guess. Anyway, let's see if you can follow instructions. You'll be covering the other side of the door there. Take your position while I get your stuff out" he ordered Troy. For now, Troy was just going to do what he was told until he's out of this mess. Just like requested, Troy stood at the opposite side of the door. "Good. Look and get a feel for where customers and risks can enter" Simon told Troy while still grabbing gear from the metal footlocker. At first, Troy thought it was a dumb idea, but figured that thugs can jump out of the alleyways and debris when least expected.

"Okay, now let's get you geared up. First, your armor" Simon says as he gave Troy the same black combat armor all the other Silver Rush guards wore, which he'd start to put on as Simon explained some more needless stuff. "Standard issue is your run-of-the-mill combat armor, with a nice dark coat of paint for both brand recognition and sheer intimidation value." Just how the Van Graffs judged him, Troy judged the armor, but kept all thoughts in his head. So these guys were really going to call the color black their brand? Why black of all colors? So original.

"Next, your weapon. Guards are required to use rifles. Anything lighter compromises your combat effectiveness. Anything heavier and people are too scared to come in the door." What ridiculousness. People are going to be too scared to come back once they meet that tall fucking asshole of a guard inside. "Laser or plasma?" Simon asked.

Troy blinked a few times. Did he really have to use a energy weapon. "Wait, I can't get my old weapons?" he asked.

"No."

"Wh-"

"Just choose one!" Simon interrupted.

Troy growled before making a quick decision. "Plasma." He's seen laser weapons more often then those, so it'd be nice to use something that rarely shows up in his life.

Simon smiled. Apparently Troy picked the right choice, or so it seems. "Nothing wrong with going plasma. Just make sure you hit what you're aiming at" Simon commented. Troy questioned that remark. Was that suppose to mean plasma weapons are inaccurate? As in, Troy should have picked the other option?

"Now that you're equipped, a quick word on the job at hand" Simon continued to talk. "In a nutshell, we're here to keep the riff-raff away. Drunks, punks, and capless vermin are to be turned away. Potential customers are to be permitted normal entrance." he explained.

Troy slowly nodded. "Make sense" he agreed with Simon's way of doing things. Simon unfortunately still was not finished. Troy was honestly starting to get tired of all of this. The Freeside thugs should use this opportunity to attack, but chances are they still see the Van Graffs as a threat, so they aren't even around to know how vulnerable the front door guard currently is. By now Troy knew that it was a big mistake to accept this stupid job.

* * *

The entire experience was just how Troy expected it the moment it started. Bloody terrible... It felt like no matter what he did, he was wrong. There was no encouragement whatsoever when a Troy encouraged a gambler from the Wrangler to enter, after the man complied with every one of Troy's command. Apparently Troy was sloppy when a bum tried to resist the search, so the courier shot the fucker in the head. He swore he's going to kill Simon and the rest of the Van Graffs. The worse part was when he supposedly ended up having a potential customer lose interest. Well how the hell is it Troy's fault that the man didn't want to let Troy and Simon search his body. It's not like Troy was very happy to let Simon search his body. The Silver Rush is just a bunch of bitches. Then some King bastard came to talk to Simon. It was clear they were buddies, so Troy tried to steer clear away from the conversation. However, the greasy haired bastard wanted the courier to flirt to Gloria for him. Of course, Troy wouldn't agree to such a stupid request.

Once the shift was over, Troy was more than glad. The caps unfortunately were not very worth it. Especially after that tall thug scolded him for his 'mediocre' work. What made it worse was that Gloria fucking fired him! Apparently she found somebody 'better' than him. Troy of course disagreed. He'd of love to see how well that new recruit could handle him in a one versus one. By this point, Troy was done with the Van Graffs. He completely rejected an offer from Gloria to deliver something. These people sucked.

* * *

"Oi! Troy!" a loud knock woke the poor courier up. He sat up and looked towards his room door which soon was bashed open by an angry blonde.

Before things began to escalate, Troy noticed a blush on Harley's cheeks. It didn't take the courier long to realize the reason behind it. He began to notice a cold and bare feeling on his skin. As he looked down, he noticed that he was shirtless. In fact, the other lower half of him which was under the covers was also without apparel. Troy froze for a second as he began to hear soft breathing right next to him. As he turned his head, he was shocked to see another figure resting almost soundlessly right next to him. Troy rubbed his eyes before taking in a second look. This appears to be the exotic dancer that advertises the Wrangler at the corner of the street. Another way to say it, Harley's friend.

Troy was about ready to freak out and try Harley down, but the door soon shut, leaving him and his one night stand alone. "What the hell just happened?" Troy asked himself. The last thing he remembered last night was ordering a bunch of drinks. This was his first hangover in a damn while. Or perhaps it actually is his first? The courier really doubts that possibility though.

Anyways, Troy has shit to do. Harley probably woke him up since she and Griffon both are getting impatient with his progress. After gearing up, he went out towards the bar to rendezvous with them. This was going to be a really awkward meet up. Well, that's what Troy thought. Upon meeting up with his small party alongside the owners of the Wrangler, only one of them had on a look of disappointment and embarrassment. That person being Harley, the one that woke Troy up. Meanwhile, Griffon had on this happy and proud look while the two bartender twins didn't seem to care. This type of shit must have been normal for the two.

"So why'd you wake me up?" Troy asked while stretching and yawning. He didn't know why he asked since he already knew the answer to the question. Perhaps having just got up caused him to act on instincts. That question ended up as the first thing that popped into the courier's mind.

Harley groaned. She was still annoyed at the sight she just witnessed. Two of her very good friends just slept with each other and it appears that at least one of them doesn't remember shit. "Just go get the sex bot already" she ordered.

Griffon and both Garret twins couldn't help but chuckle at the demand. While Griffon attempted to poorly disguise his reaction, James and Francine didn't even think about hiding their's. The amusement of the three only pissed Harley off a little more. Troy figured that it was time for him to go. "Right, I"ll see you guys in an hour or two" he says his farewell to the four before exiting the Freeside casino. Once outside, Troy sighed as he tried to remember the night before. "What a terrible hangover" he mumbles while getting out a pack of cigarette and his lighter. He'd light the cancer stick as while walking towards his objective.

The path toward Mick and Ralph's wasn't hard to remember. Especially with all the criers around the large slum. Troy was really hesitant to enter the shop, but he needs to hurry up and get this bullshit over with. The courier will use his revenge on Benny as his motivation. Just thinking about the privileged looking bastard helped him enter and face Ralph. His entrance brought on amused looks from the two brothers.

"Alright let's just get this over with" Troy snapped. He knew why they were laughing. Who wouldn't after all? "Is the holotape ready?" Troy asked the merchant.

Ralph nodded as he stood with that same grin formed on his face. "Yep, here you go. You'll need to use a terminal to upload the data to the robot" he'd inform the courier.

"Alright, thank you" Troy thanked before saying his farewells.

The encounter was not as embarrassing as Troy thought. Well, perhaps he thought that too soon. Mick just had to make a comment. "Hey, let me know how the ride goes." Troy shot a glare back at the gun merchant who only laughed at the reaction. This wasn't worth the trouble. Troy left and made his way towards his brand new destination. Cerulean Robotics was the location that James informed Troy about. Somewhere towards a more secluded side in Freeside. That location wasn't too assuring since the place was filled with thugs. Hopefully its noticeable how well armed Troy is. Still, he made sure to keep an eye out while heading towards the robotics building. The trip took longer than he wanted due to all the debris piling up alongside all the broken down buildings. Shortcuts were very hard to find.

Before entering the building, Troy pulled a combat knife and his trusty and unique .308 revolver. The gunsling courier made sure to keep Lucky aimed while having his blade ready to stab something that was a bit too close. The interior of the building was very open and dusty. Sure, it was messy and all, but all the furniture remained intact. Well, most of them at least. The cloth and wood on the couches and chairs were torn with many bite marks. Large bite marks. The sight was unsettling. Suddenly, the sound of scurrying and scratching alerted Troy. He pointed his revolver towards a doorway. There were glowing eyes in many of the corners. After blinking a couple times, the small four legged figures revealed themselves. This building was filled with giant fucking rats.

Troy was a bit relieved though. These buggers were really easy to deal with. A single bullet was all that was needed to take them out. After using an entire clip, Troy switched to his combat knife. It's better to conserve his bullets. After killing off a few of the mutated creatures, Troy could confirm that the area was going to be clear. Now he was able to get a clear view of the details of the room. The place was filled with a bunch of scraps. Junk which were both useful and useless. Only one thing was useful to Troy right now, and that was the one sealed up Protectron sealed up towards the end of one of the rooms. This area must have been the workshop. There was a conveyor belt, a few workbenches, and a whole lot of scrap metal. Troy approached the Protectron and noticed a terminal attached to the wall besides it. This must have been the computer Ralph needed Troy to go to.

Thankfully hacking wasn't needed. That was more of a Harley type job. All Troy needed to do was load up the lewd holotape given by Ralph. After a few more clicks on the terminal, the Protectron's seal opened up.

"Fully Integrated Security Technetronic Officer active and reporting for duty" the metal figure announced in its robotic and monotone voice.

"Uh... okay" Troy awkwardly replied. "Let's shorten that a bit" Troy replied while thinking up a name. He thought about the first letter of each word of the very long name of the robot. Troy pressed the palm of his hand to his head when thinking the name it spelled out. It shouldn't be a problem though. This is a sexbot after all. "Let's call you Fisto."

"Yes, sir! Fisto reporting for duty" Fisto replied. The voice sounded a bit more excited. It was a weird tone coming from something robotic. "Please assume the position" the sex crazed robot requested.

Troy thought he didn't hear that right. It took a while for the courier to process the request. He then flipped shit when understanding everything. "Wait, what!? No! Hell no!" Troy aggressively refused.

"I am programmed for your pleasure. Please assume the position" Fisto asked again.

Troy pulled out Lucky and pointed at the bot. "Listen your sex addicted motherfu-"


	13. Bounty Hunters

The three misfits were outside of the Atomic Wrangler now. Troy kept his arms crossed while leaning against the casino wall, pouting at his most recent experience.

Harley stood in front of him. Her arms also crossed with her head tilted as she kept a cigarette in her mouth.

In the middle of the road, Griffon keeps his hands on his knees as he laughs his ass off at the story Troy just told him and Harley.

"So, did you assume the position?" Harley asked while forming a smirk on her face. Griffon ended up laughing harder at the question. The two were really poking the bear.

"Fuck you guys!" Troy snapped. "I'm going to look for more work!" he stormed off away from the Wrangler. Unfortunately he didn't really know where to go. The pay from the Atomic Wrangler wasn't enough for the three. A few more jobs should do before they can enter the New Vegas Strip.

"Oi, Six! Come on now mate!" Griffon tried to call Troy back. The rifleman was still laughing, but he managed to loosen up.

Harley was having trouble keeping her own composure. "Troy, come on. We've all seen some weird things" she tries to calm him down while chasing after him. Griffon soon followed after.

* * *

Troy managed to calm down after walking around Freeside for a while. Thankfully Griffon managed to lead the angered courier towards the needed destination. Both Griffon and Harley have been talking to people while waiting for Troy to finish his tasks. The NCR was nearby and needed some work done by mercenaries. This type of work was definitely something Troy needed right now. The courier really needed to cooldown. This time, it's by taking out some raiders that need to die. Harley preferred Troy kill something than him doing all these drugs he's been managing to get his hands on. Griffon was also willing to agree with this preference.

The three entered through a gate which led into an airport. Camp McCarran was the name of this NCR held territory. They were greeted by a few soldiers. These men were not like the ones at Primm. These troopers were clearly experienced. It was obvious by the tone of their voice, their weathered uniforms, and the way they held their own postures. These men and women have seen things in the wasteland that others have yet to see.

The soldiers, although being assholes, relocated the three to the major of the camp. The officer was patrolling around the camp, so it took a while to find him. Eventually he was indeed found by Troy and the others.

The major was an older looking man. An officer like him of course would be experienced and age. The NCR officer was an African-American with large bushy beard. One thing that has him stand out compared to all the other soldiers was his green beret. The hat might be what designates him as an officer.

"I'm Major Dhatri of the NCR" he officer introduced himself. "You three must be the mercenaries I've been told about" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right" Troy spoke up. Harley agreed that he'd do the talking this time. It'll help get shit off of Troy's mind.

"If it's bad news, you cant take it up with the Colonel. If it's good news, it better involve some dead fiends. Seeing how you guys are a part of mercenaries, I'm assuming some bounties might interest you?" the Major would assume. He was correct.

"That's right" Troy confirmed.

"Good. That's damn good" the Major's eyes brightened up in excitement. His composure was contained though. "I figured it's about time we got lucky out here, so maybe you can snuff one of these maniacs" Dhatri hoped.

"First one calls herself Violet. God knows why - the name is the prettiest thing about her. Spends most of her time with a pack of vicious dogs" Dhatri gives out the first target. The major then proceeded to the second. "Then there's Driver Nephi. He's fast and he's brutal. Killed about a dozen of my men with a goddamn driver iron. Hence his name" he finished up. Major Dhatri sounded more bitter about Nephi compared to Violet. His voice was more angered when mentioning the third one though. "And finally... Cook-cook. Rapist. Pyromaniac. And damn good chef, if you believe the Fiends we've captured. Probably the craziest of the lot." Cook-cook was obviously the biggest problem out of the three fiends.

"I'm not going to feed you any bullshit. These aren't your common Vegas trash. They've all killed good NCR men, and plenty of mercs, too." That last bit was unsettling. "You go after them - any of them - you're in for a hell of a fight. So... which one is it going to be?"

Troy looked back at his two traveling companions before looking back at Major Dhatri. Harley and Griffon had an idea of what Troy was thinking. They didn't seem to mind too much though. "We'll take all three out individually" the courier offered.

Dhatri blinked a few times in astonishment. "You people have some guts, I'll give you that" Dhatri compliment this. "This will be a huge favor to the NCR. My advice is to talk to Lieutenant Gorobets. He's in charge of Alpha Team, 1st Recon. Snipers. He and his squad has had some run ins with these fiends. Especially one of his lads" Major Dhatri informed. There was a bit of sadness in his voice. That should help motivate the group.

"Gorobets is out in the yard. I'm certain he's will to lend a hand" Major Dhatri added. He wasn't quite finished just yet though. "One more thing. If you want the full reward, you need to bring me a recognizable head. My superiors need proof they're gone. That means no headshots. No decapitations 'til after they're dead. And no damage to the face. If you want to be safe, aim for the chest. You bring me a head that looks like a rotten tomato, people will be doubting, and I won't be authorized to pay the entire bounty" Dhatri finished up. The extra information would make the job harder, but understandable after what the camp has been through. Troy and the others can surely manage. "Good luck to you. And don't get careless" were Dhatri's final words before taking his leave.

* * *

Before actually hunting these targets, the three needed information. The plan was to get all the info they could before the three decide who'd kill who. Griffon went off elsewhere to ask several different soldiers. In the meantime, Troy and Harley sought out the First Recon Snipers. They were very easy to find all thanks to the red berets. Harley quickly would split up from Troy to talk with the different squad members. Troy was left with the leader, Lieutenant Gorobets. Gorobets looked young for an officer, but his maturity proved how capable he was as a leader. The sniper leader was in one of the tents, sitting at a couch in front of a coffee table. Troy pulled up a chair to sit across from him.

"I'm Lieutenant Gorobets, First Recon" he introduced himself while extending his hand. Troy respectively returned the offered handshake.

"My group and I are taking Major Dhatri's bounties. How good is your squad?" Troy asked.

Lieutenant Gorobets was very professional with his answer. He wasn't cocky as he answered with his perspective. "I've been sniping since I was old enough to walk. Lot of us sharpshooters get recruited off the farms and ranches out west. Comes natural to us. As for my squad, they're the best we have. My word on that. They're all hand-picked, and I won't work with anybody who isn't up to snuff." He went on to explain each of his squad members individually.

Troy and the Lieutenant would continue their negotiations. The young officer would agree to help out with Driver Nephi or Violet. Unfortunately the run in one of his soldiers had with Cook-cook was too traumatic for the squad to handle. Troy decided that he preferred Gorobets' help with Nephi. Violet honestly did not seem that dangerous of an opponent compared to the other two fiend leaders.

Overall, negotiations were a success. Troy managed to gain information on where there leaders were hiding alongside a bit of details about the psychopaths. The courier met up with his companions after everyone finished their conversations with the soldiers. Now it was time for the three to decide who's going after which target.

* * *

The three mercs were able to figure out their individual tasks. Griffon offered to take down Violet and her dogs. His automatic assault rifle would prove to be very sufficient against multiple melee based targets. Of course, Violet's going to be a problem due to her owning a firearm. Other than that, the hounds are no match for Griffon. Not even Violet's ace, Violetta.

Harley was wanting to take on Cook-cook due to one of the sniper's incident with him. Apparently it was personal to the female survivor. Both Troy and Griffon were very hesitant though. Harley however claimed that she had a plan. Apparently the flame wielding psychopath had a single brahmin that was very special to him. Killing the cow would cause the man to go on a bloody rampage. If his raider pals don't take him out, then Harley will. The only risk of this plan is the fact that there could be a possible headshot from the other raiders. According to Harley, she's willing to risk it. Even though Troy was highly against this, Griffon reassured the courier. All three of them were fully capable and confident when it came to surviving the Mojave. Troy eventually gave in and said that he would trust Harley.

This all led to Troy being left with Nephi. He didn't sound too hard to deal with though. Like Violet's dogs, he was a melee type opponent. Sure, maybe that golf club would deal a whole lot of damage. However, Troy doubts the mission's failure with the 1st Recon Snipers that has his back. He really hated the plan the NCR soldiers came up with though.

The snipers were to hole themselves up at Samson rock crushing plant. A disintegrated quarry that was abandoned by prospectors due to all the fiends in the area. At first, the plan seemed easy. Troy would join them in picking off the fiends from long range. However, there was more to it than that. Driver Nephi needs to expose himself. The junkie leader would only do that if there was a target in range. The NCR snipers would only scare him away into cover. The only solution was for Troy to stand out in between the quarry and the fiend camp located in the South Vegas ruins. Troy already hated the plan. It didn't help that where he stood held absolutely nothing to hide behind.

"Fuck me. I've been unlucky with my jobs lately" the courier complained while rolling his eyes. He pulled his trusty revolver and aimed it up at the sky. A single shot both alerted the drug addicted fiends and signaled the snipers to take aim. Most of the fiends would gather around to confront the lone courier. Troy gulped as he watched the fiends take aim with their combination of their guns and energy weapons. However, a single fiend ordered them to all lower their weapons. As they followed orders, that same fiend revealed himself. He held a golf club, so it was obvious that he was the target. Apparently Nephi wanted Troy all for himself. That made the plan easier.

Troy felt very comfortable until he noticed how fast Nephi was. "Oh shit" he reacted to the immense speed the fiend leader held. Instincts caused the courier to point his firearm at the approaching raider. Nephi must have expected that, for he dodged and weave even though Troy didn't fire a shot. "This fucker is fast!" he'd indicate. Troy wanted to pull the trigger, but he was going to let Gorobet's squad have this kill. These fiend leaders already did a number to the poor soldiers. Killing one of them could at least provide some closure.

Several gunshots rang out from behind Troy. Blood would then gush out of Nephi from multiple places. The only part of the fiend that remained clean was his head. Troy's heartbeat was rapid. This moment had stunned him alongside the other fiends which witnessed the events unfold with their jaws dropped. Troy then popped back into reality after realizing how vulnerable he is. Thankfully, the Red Devils fired multiple shots at the fiends ahead, killing some or forcing the rest into cover. Troy took this chance to advance further into the camp with his revolver drawn.

The gunslinging courier kept his eyes peeled while running towards some debris to crouch down behind. A fiend revealed himself from behind the damaged wall of a crumbling building. As the poor junkie attempted to avenge her fallen leader, Troy aimed Lucky and fired a shot. The courier meant for it to be a headshot, but the pullet instead hit the girl's neck. Blood spewed out which caused her to make a nasty gurgling sound. She dropped what appeared to be an energy rifle before falling off of the wall.

Troy expected more raiders to attempt the same thing, but either they caught on that that was a poor idea, or that Gorobets' squad is still keeping the bandits pinned. Hell, Troy wouldn't be surprised if it was both. Troy didn't count how many were left, but it was definitely around the single digits. He's already heard many screams from getting shot by the many .308 rounds fired from the hunting rifles the NCR snipers possessed. It was about time Troy increased his kill count for this battle. He rolled away from his cover and aimed the revolver. There were currently two fiends that were surprised by the unexpected action that Troy took. They tried to aim their weapons towards Troy, but were too late. Troy's gunslinging skills were quick enough to take out both fiends. Both were hit in the chest, but unfortunately one's sawed off went off as he fell.

Something must have happened, because Troy's left arm started to heavily sting. Adrenaline however made Troy's reaction to the pain very slow. The courier slowly looked towards his arms to see the damage. His eyes widened as he noticed a chunk of his trench coat's sleeve missing alongside the oozing blood. Troy hide behind a junk wall as he bit into his tongue. It's been a while since Troy received a pretty bad wound. He though back and remembered the last time being his first encounter with the Legion.

"Shit, this really hurts" he whimpers. There was a moment of silence which Troy managed to notice. There was no way that all the fiends were all killed, so Gorobets and the rest must still be taking aiming. Running footsteps broke Troy's train of thought. He looked to his right and pointed his revolver. Once the silhouette of a figure with horns on her head appeared, Troy pulled the trigger. A female fiend was launched away from Troy as the .308 bullet pierced the side of her torso. Troy sighed as he pulled out a stimpak from his backpack and inject it into his bicep. The courier took in deep breaths while trying to calm down. He started to feel a little better, so he switched into a crouched position. "Man, I feel like a bitch" he insulted himself. He has a point though. The shotgun blast might have almost crippled his arm, but a stimpak would ease his suffering a bit. Troy would need some rest later, but for now he needs to finish off the fiends in the area.

* * *

"So how's your arm?" Lieutenant Gorobets asked.

Troy was currently wrapping the wound with a white rag he soaked in alcohol. The raiders have a bunch of junk lying around. "I'll live. No need to be a bitch about it" he replies. He thought back to his reaction to the wound. That was so lame and uncool.

"That's good to hear. I want to thank you for letting us take the shot. It may not be a big deal to you, but it felt good to get payback" Gorobets said.

The courier reacted with a snicker. "It's no problem. I understand your feeling" he assures. The thing is, Troy doesn't exactly understand. He gets the part about wanting revenge, but the success of it he has yet to feel.

"Hey, merc!" called out one of the other snipers. The man approached with a bloodied sack. Troy could only guess what it was, or should he say who it was. This man was of Asian decent with a brown goatee and scruffy mustache.

"What do you got there, Sergeant?" Gorobets asked.

"What we promised, Sir" the Asian sergeant replied back. "Remember that the Major wants the heads" he says after turning towards Troy. "Good shooting" as he shoved the sack into Troy's chest. The courier accepted it, but was slightly disgusted. He decided that he wouldn't open up the sack. Surely a lot of people would think the same.

"Well thank you all for your help. I guess I'll be headed back to Camp McCarran" Troy said.

"Likewise" Gorobets replied which was followed by a nod by the sergeant. "Allow us to join you back."


	14. Author's Note: Temporary Goodbye

Okay so I plan on keeping this short. Well, not too short. Anyways.

So when I write this story, I have a modded save file for my Fallout: New Vegas game. Unfortunately, the file got corrupted, so although I can continue through memory and other people's gameplay video, I just prefer not to. I want most of the character dialogue to remain the same, and I also want the flow of certain questlines the same way. Many non-canon features are also inspired by mods, so it makes writing easier for me when I have the plot in mind instead of making it up.

That's the first reason on why I discontinued the story. I have two others. My second being is that I've enlisted for the Marine Corps and my ship date is coming up. Less than two weeks from now actually. Boot camp, I won't be able to write at all. Afterwards, who knows. As much as I would love to continue this story, this isn't much of a priority in my life. Will I come back to it eventually? Yeah, definitely. New Vegas was one of my favorite games and I've wanted to create a story for my Courier OC for such a long time.

Now for the final reason this process was so slow. I've had a lot of views, but not many reviews at all. I need those, I'm not an experienced writer at all, and when I continue the story, I have no idea whether I'm doing well or not. I just don't get reviews, period. I wish that would have changed a long time ago. If it did, I would have been so much more motivated in writing this. Hopefully people start giving me their opinions when I'm away. I also hope they don't hold back. I don't know whether my story is good or not because barely anybody gives me feedback.

That's mainly what I wanted to say. Goodbye for now, and when I feel more motivated, I'll continue this Fan Fiction.


End file.
